Endwar Chronicles (Cancelled, see Block 1A)
by Standardised Lambency
Summary: Scenario: a US Joint Strike Force carrier strike group appears off the Gallian coast, a European Federation Enforcer Corps strategic base materialises in Atlantic Federation territory and a Russian Spetsnaz Guard Brigade airbase ended up in the Empire.
1. Opening Moves

**Valkyria Chronicles is owned by Sega. Ubisoft owns Tom Clancy's name and Endwar. **

* * *

1935 Southern Gallian-Imperial Frontier

Major General Radi Jaeger, Southern Command stood outside in the rain despite the insistence of his staff to return to the shelter. At precisely 0200 hours that morning Imperial forces would cross Gallia's borders on the orders of Prince Maximilian. Minimal resistance was predicted despite the 90 000 men and women of Gallia's professional standing army and the estimated additional reserves that would come from the mobilisation of its militia.

That was all irrelevant when he considered the amount of firepower that was levelled against the Gallians. Over 3000 artillery pieces, 1800 multiple rocket launchers and 20 000 mortars were organised by Maximilian's Triumviri over the months leading up to this moment. Nothing of this magnitude had ever been assembled even during the last Europan war. An average of 600 tubes was positioned at the border per kilometre and the crews could fire an average of four salvos a minute and each salvo consisting of about 2000 tonnes… Annihilation was the only word he thought was fitting.

The general looked over at his staff who where huddling in the cramped comfort of the command vehicle. He made eye contact with the closest officer and tapped his right index finger into his left palm which was held flat, facing upwards. The man reluctantly pulled on a rain jacket, took out a waterproof map and ran out to join him in the rain.

"In 5 minutes we will commence the invasion, send out a scouting element here as soon as the heavy guns begin firing. There's sure to be Gallians in the forest," he marked the spot on the map.

"When they make contact be sure to reinforce them, then send in the tanks and after that everything else; don't forget what order as well."

"I'm sure everyone knows their part," replied the officer confidently.

"Good, you're dismissed."

They exchanged salutes and man gratefully returned to his shelter.

Jaeger checked his watch and followed the seconds hand as it reached the 12.

At that very moment the field around him erupted with light as every artillery piece in the camp fired at the same time. The shaking of the ground startled the men in the command vehicle but Jaeger kept his poise. Already a pair of armoured cars carrying the first men to step foot in Gallia as invaders were moving at top speed towards the border.

* * *

Meanwhile just over the border in the forest known as the Kloden Wildwood a five member militia fireteam was scurrying to complete the meagre defence against the invading Imperials. Crouched behind a fallen log Hermes Kissinger stared east in the direction of the Imperials. A few days and nights of non-stop reconnaissance had revealed a battalion worth of Imperial tanks, troops and other assets massing along the border. Similar reports were relayed back to the Gallian military HQ back at Fort Amatrian but it was only at the last minute that action was being taken.

"What on earth was going on back there?" he asked Catherine O'Hara next to him, "Surely General Damon had an idea of what's facing us?"

"You know how… unreliable General Devsky can be when it comes to unpleasant news like this," she answered.

"What an understatement," whispered Hannes Salinger as he ran up and stopped beside them.

General Zoltan Devsky held the position of Gallian Military Intelligence, an important staff position directly under General Georg von Damon. Like some Gallians he was openly disdainful of the Darcsen minority in Gallia. There were rumours about how he worked as a powerbroker within the upper echelons of the military, building up a clique that served his interests only. Somehow General Damon refused to believe that the virtual second-in-command of the military would undermine him. Lately there had been rumblings of war; the Empire had conducting provocative military exercises on the border. Only now were the hasty preparations being made.

The three of them turned their eyes back to the front as they heard Theold Bohr cursing at Herbert Nielsen.

"Hurry up with that, I swear every time I look away from you to watch YOUR back I see you trying to nod off," snarled Theold as he shifted his lancer from shoulder to shoulder. His hair, normally standing up and proud was plastered flat against his head and this served to make him all the more grouchier.

"Watch what you say Theold, it takes time to lay these things. I need to move slowly to I don't set this thing off and this happens to be tiring work," retorted Herbert as he laid the last mine.

The three behind the log didn't know whether to sigh with relief that the minefield was complete or to curse with frustration at the amount of bickering the lancer and engineer had engaged in. Herbert was a good engineer most of the time but his apathy and sheer laziness meant that it would take at least a week to complete a task like setting up a minefield. Theold who was known to be harsh and confronting around everyone was sent to ensure Herbert stayed on task. The arguments they had up there kept the rest of the fireteam from sleeping.

"Finally," whispered Catherine as Theold returned, dragging Herbert behind him.

"Got the detonator?" asked Hannes.

Herbert's face remained impassive.

"You didn't bring it then," Hermes came to the same conclusion as everyone else, "In that case I'm not going in there."

"Dibs not getting it," said Hannes.

"Hopeless dimwit, I'm not going back out there again," spoke Theold.

"Same here," Herbert added.

"Like hell, you left it so you're going back to get it," Theold shoved Herbert but he refused to budge.

Hermes, Catherine and Hannes each sighed as their younger comrades bristled and prepared for a mud wrestle. No one was in a good mood because of the rain which was pounding so heavily the tree branches above appeared to bend.

"Alright cool it boys, I'll go and get it," Catherine interjected before the situation could escalate, "Make sure to keep Theold and Herbert apart," she said to the scout and shocktrooper.

She clambered over a log, struggling to get a grip on the wet bark and almost fell over the other side onto a field of mud. Catherine quickly regretted volunteering. Out here where the trees were thinnest the rain acted as a physical force which threatened to push her feet first into the sucking mud which was almost knee deep.

Squinting ahead, she pushed through the mud and darkness before reaching the boundary of the minefield which was marked with a rotting tree stump.

"There it is," she thought as she snatched up the bulky handheld device, the wire attached to it disappeared into the mud where twenty anti-personnel mines were concealed.

She looked up as a flash of light in front caught her eyes. "Was that lightning?"

The noise of distant explosions from behind and the thunder that buffeted her from the front proved otherwise. The mud all around her her feet sloshed upwards, splashing her uniform. For a moment she feared that the mines would go off but thankfully nothing happened. Pulling the scope off her rifle she stared east at the Imperial border. Just then the east lit up again. There was no mistaking it; the Imperials were firing the opening shots of an invasion. She caught her breath as soon she saw the two vehicles approaching.

As soon as Catherine returned the rest of the team was almost in a state of panic.

"Snap out of it guys," she knew she had to take charge as the most senior member, "the Imperials are sending a pair of scout cars our way, that's all we need to worry about for now."

"What about the shelling?" asked Hermes.

"It's probably the rear-enders getting hit, they sounded like heavy atrillery," answered Hannes.

"Well he's right, I just saw the Imperials firing the big guns back there," Catherine grimaced, "Still we can't let those scouts get through."

"But you said they were travelling on wheels. Dammit! I knew those mines were a waste of time," exclaimed Theold angrily.

Herbert didn't say anything, for some reason the rumble of artillery fire was a lullaby.

"Wake that lazy bastard," said Catherine, "I know what we can do, ok. I'll shoot the gunner of one of those cars. Theold destroy the second car as soon as I fire. When the infantry dismount from the first vehicle wait until they're within the mines then blow them up. You got that Herbert?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grunted without looking up.

"Then we open fire on the survivors," Hannes completed the plan.

"Exactly," said Catherine.

"I got an idea, time your shot with the sound of those explosions; it takes about 12 seconds after each flash for the noise of the guns to reach us so you can disguise your shot and throw them off." Hermes chimed in helpfully.

"Good idea, let's get ready for them and don't forget we need to break contact as soon as it gets rough." Catherine concluded.

A few minutes later the five of them leaned up against the log, occasionally one of them would reach over and tap the Herbert on the shoulder to wake him up. Their weapons were aimed towards the clearing where the minefield was, waiting for the Imperials to come. The distant artillery continued to fire, a flash accompanied with a loud boom which followed 12 seconds afterwards. The rain had lightened considerably and they were grateful for the increased visibility they were granted. At that moment the rumbling of a wheeled vehicle was audible.

"Here they come," they all thought.

The headlights of the scout cars came into view, a manned gatling cannon with a mounted searchlight on each panned left and right. The lead car slowly advanced into the minefield. The second car stopped behind and to the left of the lead, providing cover as the other moved forward.

The flash appeared again, the searchlight of the lead car swept over the log. Catherine started counting down but squinted as she was dazzled by the searchlight.

7

6

Her eyes needed time to readjust after her natural nightvision was ruined by the sudden brightness.

5

4

3

The lead car started to move a little faster, it was right in the middle of the mine cluster.

2

The light returned and stayed there.

1

She pulled the trigger just as the thunder erupted again. In her sights the searchlight swung up as the gunner fell back with a bullet to the throat. A split second later Theold fired his lance at the other car which was stationary. The small rocket easily penetrated the light armour of the vehicle and exploded inside. The light from the explosion illuminated the clearing, revealing the soldiers piling out the doors of the first vehicle. The Gallians waited a few seconds for the Imperial infantry to fan out.

"Now!" mouthed Hannes.

Herbert turned the switch on the detonator and an ear-splitting roar erupted as all the mines went off simultaneously right below the hapless Imperials. Once the dust had cleared the entire scouting unit was either dead or seriously wounded.

Hermes stuck his head up and peeked over at the enemy positions only to duck as a bullet hit the log in front of him.

"There are more of them…at least six," he was clearly shaken by the near miss.

"I take care of them," Hannes stood up and opened fire with his Mags. He could see dark sillouetes up ahead taking cover as best they could in the smoking clearing. The rest of the fireteam stood up and opened fire; Hermes and Herbert with their Gallian-A rifles, Catherine with her GSR sniper rifle and Theold with his sidearm pistol.

One of the Imperials lobbed a grenade which exploded just short of the log the fireteam was using for cover but the force was enough to roll it over, forcing the Gallians to reform their skirmish line. Another set of lights appeared and additional Imperials joined the fire fight. Hermes responded by firing a Randgrizer rifle grenade, scattering the enemy soldiers.

"Peel back now!"

Theold who stood at the end of the line on the right ceased firing, turned, tapped Herbert on the shoulder before retreating a few metres to the back and left of Hannes who stood at the other end of the line and resumed firing. A few seconds later Herbert did the same, tapping Catherine on the shoulder and retreating so he was on the left of Theold. The pattern continued until the whole fireteam had retreated without ceasing their suppressive fire on the enemy.

The manoeuvrer continued until the Gallians had fallen back 100m. By the time they stopped they could hear the Imperials calling for reinforcements and medical support.

"Alright! We gave those Imps a bloody nose!" said Theold, clearly relieved like the rest of them.

"If only the first taste of combat was as successful as this for everyone," replied Catherine pensively as she keyed her radio.

She listened for a minute and snapped her fingers to draw everyone's attention, "We're falling back to phase line Bravo, we've been hit hard everywhere and the Imperials have just struck further north as well."

Without a word the Gallians trekked west along a rough forest path and found their jeep which was hidden under a camouflaged tarp beside a paved road. The fireteam then began the journey back to the dubious safety of friendly lines.


	2. The NUB

2020 Coast of Flanders, Belgium

The USS Olympia (CVN-81) the latest Ford Class super carrier floated serenely off the coast of Belgium, the flagship of the Olympia Carrier Strike Group. The two battalions were being assembled at a forward operating base.

They were the leading edge of the United States Joint Strike Force, the first and last line of defence for their nation. The three way war between Russia, the US and the European Federation had been ongoing for five months. Within the first three weeks of fighting, munitions expenditure for all involved had exceeded overoptimistic initial estimates. The 29th Special Operations and 18th Assault battalions were staffed with fresh but well trained recruits from all branches of the US Special forces. To compensate for the general lack of combat experience they had to include combat veterans from other JSF and regular military units. Five months of fighting had bled the US and Europe of their finest troops. Entire battalions had to be disbanded because their losses couldn't be replaced quickly enough. Only the Russians seemed to be able to shrug off their losses without losing momentum.

The mission of the 29th and 18th was to strike at the heart of the European Federation capital, Paris. Consistent strategic bombing raids had force the EF to shift their military headquarters first to the old NATO command at Brussels and then to Strasbourg. The capture of Paris combined with a war weary population and Russia once again holding half of Berlin was expected to knock the EF out of the war.

Down on the coast the base known as Site Echo 11 consisted of a prefabricated airstrip as well as dozens of other prefabricated buildings containing vehicles, supplies and barracks. C-5 and C-130 transports were already making supply runs almost non-stop through the Greenland-Iceland-UK airbridge. A defensive perimeter of PD-6 Rottweiler drones was established and patrols were being sent out to scout for any EF presence.

* * *

2nd Lieutenant Alan Reyes, the member of an Operational Detachment Alpha team was being sent on one of these. The youngest member at 22 out of the whole 12 man ODA team, West Point and the 'Q' course had prepared him for many things but not for making an arse of himself in front of a bunch of hardened soldiers.

He didn't have a chance to meet his team until making landfall at the base. The squat, powerfully built captain in charge gave him a once over. His disapproval was evident from the badly disguised scowl after Alan introduced himself with his best parade ground salute. This impression was further reinforced when he led Alan to meet the rest of the team without speaking. The reception from the other men was just as cold. He met them in the armoury where they were lounging about, cleaning their weapons. An awkward silence followed which was only broken by the sound of gun parts clicking together or a stifled curse as someone spilled a bottle fine grade sewing machine oil.

"So… am I the FNG here?" asked Alan, hoping to break the silence.

"We don't use that term no more," answered a sergeant who wore sunglasses, "It's NUB, New Useless Bitch."

"Now that you've gotten yourself familiarised," said the captain, clapping Alan hard on the shoulder, "We're up for patrol duty, with luck we might find some troublemakers just for you."

* * *

Half an hour later the team sat in three humvees taking a forested path south of Site Echo.

"Where's the respect," Alan wondered as he sat in the front passenger seat of the middle humvee. It sure felt like crap having to have gone through one of the world's most intensive training programs only to be looked down upon by the soldiers he was trying to emulate.

He looked out the window to distract himself, low thick vegetation all around.

"A perfect place for an ambush isn't it?" said the sergeant who driving; he was the same man who wore the sunglasses earlier.

"You read my mind," answered Alan. He turned his head to face the sergeant.

"It was like this in when we went upriver on the Amazon, Las Trinidad punks tried to jump us from the riverbeds… Course, here we don't have to contend with no piranhas, leeches or snakes," the sergeant continued.

"Remember when we warned Sanchez not to piss into the water right when he was doing exactly that?" asked one of the men in the back.

"Ahh yeah, that was fricken hilarious man, jumped a foot in the air and damned near pissed all over himself. I still can't believe he fell for that," another laughed. This was followed by a fist bump with the soldier who brought it up first.

"What was that?" Alan was curious about what could scare a spec-ops soldier in such a manner.

"Well, these two back here thought it would be a great barrel of laughs to feed corporal Sanchez who's no longer with us god bless his soul; some disinformation," the sergeant smiled as he began his anecdote, "Basically there's a myth that a small fish-like thing… I can't remember its name. Well, it's attracted to urine or something in it, so it'll swim up your urethra if you piss on its home."

"I know I wouldn't want that happening to me," said Alan, genuinely shocked.

"Normally this story would have a moral, don't piss on nature or it'll get back at you in the nastiest way possible," continued the sergeant.

"But it really isn't true," said one of the men behind.

"Which made it all the better because we told him as soon as he had calmed down," said the other.

"You guys reckon you're real bunch of laughs don't you?" the sergeant grinned, "What if I told you he dragged your sleeping arses into the path of some driver ants that evening?"

The uproar that followed distracted everyone from their vigil as a pair of MILANA-2 missiles reached out from the trees lining the road to the left. The missile gunners deliberately flew the missiles low so they could avoid the Humvees' active protection system. The lead vehicle caught a missile on the tyres, flipping it over. A loud explosion from the rear indicated a similar fate for the humvee behind.

"Out! Out!" shouted the sergeant. Immediately the two soldiers in the rear opened their doors and leapt out firing their rifles into the tree-line.

Alan opened the door while activating his Cross-Com unit. It was an important component of the Integrated Warfighter System that was integrated into his uniform, helmet, armour and weapons. The helmet projected a low-intensity laser into his retina which scanned horizontally and vertically, providing him with a 3D heads-up display. The information he was provided with was updated continually from his commanders, friendly soldiers and vehicles and other assets like UAVs, drones and satellites. The system was essentially a wireless LAN/WAN for soldiers and vehicles on the field, allowing for greater flexibility, ease of issuing orders and access to crucial tactical and strategic intelligence.

Raising his SCAR-A1 rifle his shoulder he quickly identified several moving targets, outlined with red diamonds on his HUD. He squeezed off his shots in bursts as his instructors reminded him. Two of the diamonds went white and disappeared as two hostiles were killed. Alan looked over at the sergeant who had run around to join him on the other side and was firing his weapon.

"Lieutenant! We'd better check on the others," he nodded over to the lead humvee which was a gutted smoking wreck. According to the Cross-Com two of the occupants were still alive which was denoted with a heartbeat status next to their name.

"Good idea," replied Alan in a calm voice which surprised him even, inwardly he was scared shitless.

"Why didn't I think of that?" he wondered, "No wonder why the instructors at Bragg had taught him to trust the instincts of his NCOs, now he knew that it boiled down to experience."

He turned to look at the other two men; the Cross-Com identified them as Corporal Benton and PFC Ortega.

"Give us some covering fire while we cross over to that humvee!" he ordered, "As soon as we are over we'll cover you so you can check on the other one!"

"Roger that." they complied and started firing in the direction of the enemy.

"Let's go!" the sergeant led the way.

"Shit!" Alan inadvertently blurted as he ran from cover and heard the snap of bullets hitting the pavement behind him. Before he knew it he had slid into cover behind the wreckage of the lead humvee.

"Ok, on three, two, one, go!" the sergeant started shooting and Benton and Ortega started moving to the last humvee wreckage.

"Help me out here Lieutenant!" Alan heard the sergeant shout.

How could he have forgotten he thought furiously to himself, "Alright!"

He stood up and joined in the sergeant in shooting. Another two red diamonds disappeared, there were only four left. At the same moment words flashed discretely in the corner of his HUD, announcing he'd received an email in his personal inbox. He cursed the inappropriate timing.

Just then the heartbeat status of Benton and Ortega flat-lined along with everyone else except for Alan and the sergeant.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the USS Olympia the electronic warfare officer summoned the captain over to the console he was working at.

"Yeah what is it?" asked Captain Gordon Navarro.

"Skipper, we're getting higher than usual electromagnetic interference with our arrays across the board. I've already checked with the other ships and the airforce guys and they're getting it too," said the EW officer.

"Euros must be trying to jam us, I thought everything was EMP hardened?" he suggested.

"Unlikely, this is affecting us even on the channels that we formulated the day we put out to sea, the Euros won't have enough time to crack them and besides we haven't even used them until a few days ago."

"Solar flares then," the captain concluded.

"I concur, I checked with for any atmospheric EM disturbances that could be caused by a high magnitude EMP but its field of effect and strength is growing at a rate that cannot be man-made. I calculated that we'll lose communications in 15 minutes at this rate"

The captain grunted, inwardly pleased with the initiative of the staff that he felt blessed to be commanding.

"It's out of our hands then, we'll have to sit it out until it passes." he said, "We should let everyone know before they panic when we lose comms."

* * *

Inside his quarters aboard the USS Kinnear, a new Oregon class SSN, Captain Fred Boyd had finished composing his death letter. It was a video recording that would be sent to his wife and children back home. They would be entitled to view its contents upon receiving news of his demise. As he mulled over the recording he heard over the intercom about the solar flare that would shut down all communications in 5 minutes time. Sighing he attached the file to an email and sent it to a trusted friend stateside. He shut off his computer and left the room just as all the lights turned out.

* * *

Alan and the sergeant were pinned down behind the humvee shell.

"Shit! We should have retreated down that way earlier," bemoaned Alan.

"Enough, it was worth a try saving these men, they would have done the same for you even if you're the NUB," snapped the sergeant.

He'd attempted to revive a few of the men they managed to drag from the wreckage but it was evident that he was unsuccessful.

"Listen, this is your team, on the field we're a family, we trust each other, we work together and we watch each other's arses got it?" the sergeant continued, "I know it seems like a load of horseshit considering how we've been tough on you to start with but…"

His last words were silenced by a lethal ricochet from a random piece of shrapnel. Alan stared in shock at the surreal mess where a human face once was on the dead sergeant. He sank to his knees, feeling a need to throw up. Biting his lips he forced himself to open his eyes and check the Cross-Com. The sergeant's name was Tierce and his status was a flat-line.

At that moment Alan heard voices from the other side of the road. They were taunting voices, calling out in accented English, beckoning him to surrender. A few minutes passed and then the voices called out again, speaking a foreign language. The Cross-Com translated for him, the text appearing at the bottom of the HUD.

"I dare you to cook that grenade before lobbing it."

"How many Euros for that?"

Alan checked the ammo counter for his rifle but he had less than half a magazine left. Biting his lip and trying not to look at Sergeant Tierce's mutilated face Alan reached over to his body and tried to prize a magazine from his webbing.

At that moment the Cross-Com filled with wild static and a bizarre ringing noise filled Alan's ears. He suddenly felt dizzy and his eyes started to blur as he lost control of his body and slumped over. He could vaguely hear the sound of an explosion which sounded very distant before everything went dark.

* * *

An unknown amount of time later the Integrated Warfighter System on Alan's suit ran a self-diagnostic test as it reactivated.

Status of 2nd Lieutenant Alan Reyes, United States Joint Strike Force- Alive

Location- Unknown


	3. Sightings

1935 Fort Amtriain, Gallia

Captian Eleanor Varrot tried to keep the outrage from her face as she listened to General Devsky giving his evaluation of the successful Kloden mission. The objective was to retake the base in the Kloden forest in Gallia's south, thereby cutting off the Imperial north-south main supply route. It was a matter of pride to her that Squad 7 of the militia of the 3rd regiment had done what the regular army failed to achieve.

"I hereby conclude that Squad 7's conduct was highly inappropriate considering the fact that they allowed the Imperial General Jaeger to escape. Let me remind you ladies and gentlemen that this man is the head of the Imperial Southern Command, I can only imagine the damage done to the enemy war effort on so many levels if this man were captured or killed," Devsky concluded.

His face had an unnerving quality to it, the skin was too smooth and looked artificial when light shone off it and it was a well known fact he wore a red-head wig.

"That's all you can do isn't it? Use your imagination to feed us more lies. You only found out that Jaeger existed when you interrogated the prisoners we captured, didn't you?" Varrot wanted to say.

"Your concerns will be taken into account Zoltan," said General Damon who sat at the head of the long briefing table. A squat man with a brown goatee, he was the commander of the entire Gallian military.

"Captain Varrot, Squad 7 will hereby be put on notice for this incidence of under-performance. As a result I have decided to cancel all leave for the Squad until they have completed their next mission to my satisfaction. I trust that you will not allow something like this to happen again?" he asked.

"Yes sir, understood sir," she replied, gritting her teeth.

"Dismissed."

Devsky had an unpleasant smile on his face as he stood up; he revelled in humiliating anyone no matter their rank.

Varrot remained seated as she fumed inwardly at the injustice of the situation Squad 7 and she faced. Already the unit, led by 2nd Lieutenant Welkin Gunther had successfully recaptured two strategic objectives which were Vasel and Kloden. The young lieutenant at 22 had become a minor hero, this was compounded by the fact that he was the son of the war hero General Belgen Gunther from the previous war.

"Now they're being reprimanded on the whim of this incompetent," she thought angrily.

Provost Marshal Jakob van Rheling gave her a sympathetic smiled as he passed. He too had suffered at the hands of Devsky. As the commander of Gallian Military Police and Town Watch personnel during peacetime it was also his responsibility for the security of Gallian military installations. Imperial commandos struck Ft. Amtriain on the morning of the invasion. A delay in relaying the information of the commando safehouses from Devsky prevented Marshal van Rheling from apprehending them. By then it was too late and he was chastised in front of all the General staff.

Varrot looked up when she heard the voice of the Navy chief, Admiral Hoffman conversing quietly to Damon.

"Sir these photographs look authentic enough and we have plenty of eyewitness accounts…" said Hoffman.

"Nonsense, I'm not sparing even a rowboat to check out these apparitions of yours," Damon cut in, "I'm not pulling a single marine or sailor from Marberry until I see the Gallian flag flying over those cliffs."

Varrot was aware of the beachhead operation planned by Damon himself. The Gallian navy would hold a perimeter against the numerically superior Imperial Northern Fleet just off the Marberry coast. At the same time the Gallian marines would attempt to storm the beach and seize the bunkers lining the cliffs. It would be suicide and that admiral knew it too so Varrot understood why he was looking for any excuse to delay the operation.

"With all due respect sir the reported size of this flotilla could pose a serious threat to our western shoreline," the admiral persisted.

"Get someone else to do it! Take Varrot for instance," replied Damon as he left for the door.

A minutes awkward silence followed as Hoffman stood there uncertainly and then approached Varrot.

"At least he has the good grace to look embarrassed," she thought as she stood and saluted.

"I'm sorry to bother you with this but fishermen and local residents along the western coast reported seeing phantom ships along the coast," he said after returning the salute.

He sat down across from her and pulled a stack of photographs from the folder he held and slid them over. The stickiness of the surface indicated that the photos were recently developed.

After scrutinising them Varrot asked, "What in Europa are these?"

A distant flotilla could be seen on the horizon but they were too far away for any distinguishable details to be visible and the photos were black and white.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I would normally request the Coast Guard to handle such sightings but since most of them were called up for the Naval Reserve I'm afraid you're the only one who can properly investigate," Hoffman answered apologetically. The Coast Guard and the Naval Reserve were the maritime counterparts of the Town Watch and Militia respectively.

"Ok, since there's nothing planned for us, I suppose Squad 7 can handle this," said Varrot after a few minutes contemplation. She stood and saluted.

The chief of the navy returned the salute. "Thank you captain and by the way, I think the militia really exceeded all expectations ever since the war began. Keep the good work up. Everything you need to know is in here."

They shook hands and he handed over his folder.

As he left Varrot called out, "On behalf of the militia, we'd like to wish you and your men and women good luck on Marberry."

Hoffman turned and smiled sadly, "Thanks, I'll let them know they'll have the blessing of the two Gunthers."

* * *

Lieutenant Welkin Gunther stood at attention in front of Varrot's desk as she perused the contents of the folder she held in her hands. Welkin thought that there must be something especially intriguing if she forgot that he was standing here.

She then looked up and said apologetically, "I'm sorry Lieutenant. I'm caught up in so many things now so please have a seat."

Welkin, relieved sat and asked, "So what is going on Captain?"

"I reported your success at Kloden to the General staff but it seems they were unimpressed with the outcomes, or what could have been," replied Varrot without looking up.

"I see," said Welkin, he could deal with this so long as it didn't affect the Squad roster.

"They have decided to cancel all leave until our next mission, that is what you're here to see," continued Varrot.

"I don't think the rest of the Squad will take this well but I'll tell them," said Welkin.

"Not everyone on the staff is all as… insensitive to the achievements of the militia," Varrot cautioned, "This next one is expected to be very easy and it will probably be a break in itself as well."

She opened the folder and showed him the contents. He squinted at the photo of the phantom ships.

"Is that a pod of whales?" he asked incredulously.

"I highly doubt it. The locals reported seeing these starting yesterday evening and these photos got here early this morning. They just contacted us again before the briefing and apparently they haven't changed position at all."

"Alright, so are we're going to see what these things are?"

"Yes, they were sighted here on the western coast," said Varrot as she pointed to the map.

Welkin looked at where her finger pointed and said, "That's unoccupied territory it should be all peace and quiet out there."

"This shouldn't be a problem for your team then, dismissed."

As Welkin returned to the recreation room he ran into Alicia Melchiott, his friend from Bruhl and the dependable squad sergeant.

"I was just looking for you Welkin."

"Why's that?"

"Everyone heard that Captain Varrot got chewed out by General Devsky and then General Damon," said Alicia who looked clearly concerned, "Apparently it had something to do with our last op."

"She told us not to worry about it, even if our leave is cancelled…"

At this Alicia's face took on an expression of bitter resentment.

"But we've got something else that I'm 99% sure won't involve any combat," Welkin continued, "We're going to the west coast to check out some ghost ships, if that's what they are."

"Alright," she looked a little confused, "I'll get everything organised, the squad should be up and moving in less than an hour."

* * *

Later that afternoon Welkin and the Squad 7 members who were up for ghost hunting were moving west on a main highway westwards. Just before reaching the coast they realised the road branched off, one going right and the other going left.

"Right or left?" asked Welkin as he got out of the Edleweiss, a prototype tank left to him and Isara, his adopted Darcsen sister by his father.

"Left!" called Isara from inside the tank.

"I think it is right."

"Alright, we'll go left."

"No no I mean we should go right."

"No it's left."

Alicia, Largo Potter and Brigitte 'Rosie' Stark who were in the jeep behind rolled their eyes at this. Clearly sibling squabbles will occasionally rear its head even in war.

On rare occasions Welkin and Isara in their earlier days had disagreements or took each others pranks too seriously. For example when Welkin replaced all the pencils in Isara's pencil jar with the dead stick insects from his collection, she didn't realise until she tried writing with one of them. For revenge Isara convinced Welkin the only way to attract a certain species of finch was to sit in a tree in the frontyard and mimic its song while holding up a sandwich of earthworms for an hour from 6am, all in full view of the postman when he passed on his morning rounds. It took him three mornings to catch on.

A compromise was reached.

"Listen up Squad. We're going to split up for this one. Those of you who want to take the path right, follow me. Those who want to go left, go with Isara and the Eldeweiss. There shouldn't be any enemies about so we should meet up at the destination unhindered."

"I'll race you there Welks," Isara called out from the tank.

"It's on then," replied Welkin with a smile, he turned to the others, "Alright Rosie goes with Isara, Alicia and Largo you're with me and the rest of you sort yourselves out."

"Why do I have to go with her? The dark-hair?" complained Rosie.

Montley Leonard, Knute Jung, Rosie and Salinas Milton followed Isara in the Eldeweiss and took the path left. Welkin, Alicia, Largo, Vyse Inglebard and Aika Thompson went right.

* * *

Salinas was absolutely ecstatic about getting to ride in the commander's seat since Welkin was gone.

"I can't believe I'm doing this, your brother has got the best job in the world," he commented with a grin that divided his face.

"Welks actually has quite a bit of responsibility besides driving this tank, I hope he'll be alright going the other way," said Isara.

In the jeep behind Montley unsuccessfully tried to get Knute to drive faster.

"Don't be a party pooper, just overtake the Eldeweiss and speed on ahead, it's a race after all."

"Like hell you young whelp, we could crash into these trees, damn cost cutting makes these roads too narrow," replied Knute who was behind the wheel.

Rosie didn't pay any attention, preferring to doze until the jeep came to a sudden halt and tossing her violently forward.

"Dammit! I knew you dark-hairs can't drive…" she shouted, reached over and pressed the horn on the jeep.

Salinas poked his head out and shouted, "Rosie darling, cut it out! You're hurting Isara's feelings and the tank too! There's a crash up ahead!"

He got out and ran onto the road, disappearing in front of the tank. A moment later Isara climbed out and followed, calling behind her, "Come on let's go!"

Without hesitation Montley vaulted out from the jeep and followed her. Grumbling, Knute and Rosie opened their doors and started jogging over to see the obstruction on the road.

* * *

Alan woke to the sound of the Cross-Com alerting him through his earpiece. He tried to lift his hands to rub his eyes but found his left armed was pinned underneath a large piece of metal which had fallen on him. As his eyes cleared he checked his HUD which was warning him that the satellite uplink was down and that his armour had detected impacts across his body which gave a 95% chance of rib cage fractures and 60% chance of a fractured left arm. Tucking his right knee under the piece of metal and with assistance from his right arm he managed to free himself and slid out. He got unsteadily to his feet and flexed his left arm which was sore but otherwise unbroken.

Looking around Alan saw the two humvees smouldering away, the bodies lying in the bushes in front of him, the bodies of the ODA team lying riddled with bullets on the road or charred inside the burnt out vehicles. Then he saw Sergeant Tierce lying at his feet, his face missing, his sunglasses lying shattered next to him. Refusing to believe what was in front of him he checked the life signs of his team through his HUD, all of them were dead.

At that moment he heard a shout. Turning he saw someone running up to him, the Cross-Com was unable to identify any friendly or enemy GFTCs on the person. 'Green' Force Tracker Chips were subdermal IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe) implants for infantry units. They were DNA specific so they won't function if removed and implanted in someone else and they also used rolling encryption to secure their signals.

After taking a step forward Alan was surprised at the amount of physical strength it took. The pain of having failed his team and the pain from his injuries made him feel weak and sick, mentally and physically. With great difficulty he took another step.

"Are you alright?" asked Salinas as he approached the battered stranger wearing a strange camouflage pattern uniform and armour.

Alan could see the young man in a strange blue and red uniform but his eyes were blurring again. He felt someone catching him as he blacked out again.


	4. First Encounter

**While I know that the way I brought in the Endwar elements seems very similar to using a chronosphere (Red Alert) I can't think of any other way of bringing these elements into the world of VC, I'll remember to give an explanation later. In any case I encourage you readers to post any constructive criticism and comments. I will also be including the occasional reference to other works of fiction, none of which I own. **

* * *

On the road right Welkin answered the call from Rosie.

"We've come across what looked to be an ambush we can't identify the victims or the sole survivor," she spoke over the radio, "We're thinking of taking him back to base and towing the vehicle he was with as well. It's something none of us have seen before."

"Alright, make sure you get back safely, as soon as you drop off the survivor get over here as soon as you can," anwered Welkin.

"You reckon it has something to do with the ghost ships?" asked Largo.

"Haven't a clue I'm afraid but I hope they're actually whales. Even if it really isn't migration time for them yet," he replied.

"Same here," said Aika nervously fidgeting with her rifle. It was only as Vyse's insistence that she even came along as she was terrified of ghosts.

"Aw, com on! The possibility of ghosts is what makes it exciting!" said Vyse, clapping her on the shoulder.

The road unexpectedly ended at a fenced gate. Behind it several warehouse buildings were visible. Largo stopped the jeep ad everyone got out, pulling out their weapons.

"This is the place," said Alicia after consulting the map, "I can hear the waves from here but there was no mention of any buildings around here."

"That's strange," Largo took the map and checked it too, "We're at the right place but there isn't supposed to be any village or port around for two kilometres."

"I didn't know… ghosts could… also include buildings as well," stammered Aika.

"Let's check it out Welkin!" insisted Vyse excitedly, "No point coming here and turning back now, the sea is very close."

"Alright Squad, Alicia, Aika and I will take point, Largo follow us but keep your distance at 3m minimum, Vyse will be our vanguard, got it?" ordered Welkin.

"Are you sure I have to go in front?" whined Aika.

Alicia reassured her, "Don't worry; Welkin and I will be right next to you, I'm sure this place isn't haunted."

They approached the gate but as they came within a metre it slid open unexpectedly. Aika jumped at this but Welkin said, "Keep moving."

The gate shut behind them and this only served to get more on everyone's nerves.

"I'm picking up a creepy vibe here," said Vyse as he turned, hearing a soft whirring noise from behind and to the left.

"Did you hear that?" asked Alicia. She also picked up the whirring noise but it was approaching from the front.

"Find some cover, it's coming closer," said Welkin but realised there was none.

They all gathered in a circle, facing outwards. The whirring was coming in from all directions now and seemed to encircle the squad.

A PD-6 sentry drone suddenly appeared after turning a corner and faced the group. It was 1.5 metres long with six wheels, each three organised into tracks. On top it mounted a 6.8mm minigun and a pair of rocket pods. Its electronic eye scanned the intruders, recognising the contours of their weapons for what they were but unable to recognise their models nor could it identify any friendly or enemy GFTCs on the Gallians. It then followed protocol and sent an alert through the Cross-Com to the nearest security team.

The squad stared at the drone for a few moments, especially at its minigun which was pointed threateningly in their direction. It then spoke through electronic speakers, "Please drop your weapons. You have twenty seconds to comply."

At this Aika seemed to panic, "It's possessed… it's talking… let me go!"

Largo and Vyse had to grab onto her arms to calm her down lest she try to bolt. The sudden movements appeared to provoke the drone.

In a louder tone it commanded, "Please drop your weapons. You have ten seconds to comply. Lethal force is authorised and you will be fired upon."

"Wait!" called out Welkin, "We don't mean you any harm…"

It was Alicia who dropped her weapon first.

"Welkin, it's no use but I think that there's something afoot, seems to be intelligent," she said and beckoned the others to do the same.

The other squad members dropped their guns and held up their arms. Largo did so reluctantly, saying, "If only we had some cover I could have taken out that mini-tank."

The drone recognised the arms up as a sign of surrender and said, "A security team will be dispatched to your location, please do not move. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Do you think its ghosts we're actually dealing with?" asked Vyse.

"Clearly not," replied Welkin as a squad of JSF sentries appeared with their rifles raised.

The security team had seen the footage streamed from the drone's electronic eye after they were awoken by its Cross-Com alert.

"Stand down," called out the leader issuing a voice command and the drone dropped its aggressive posture.

"Identify yourselves," he commanded as his subordinates confiscated the weapons from the Gallians.

"I'm 2nd Lieutenant Welkin Gunther, commanding officer of Squad 7, 3rd Regiment of the Gallian Militia," answered Welkin, injecting in as much bravado as he could.

"Gallian?" asked one JSF soldier, puzzled.

"Yes, we're members of the armed forces of the Principality of Gallia," replied Welkin who was just as confused, "You're standing on Gallian soil at the moment."

"Wait a second… is your country affiliated with the European Federation?" another asked, wondering if Gallia was one of those small European countries no one has ever heard of."

"European Federation? If you referring to the Atlantic Federation then we most certainly aren't."

Both of the Americans stared at the Gallians in their strange attire which seemed old fashioned and strange to them. The Gallians stared back, taking in the Americans' unusual camouflaged uniform and their helmets.

"Tell me, where exactly is this place?" questioned the leader slowly.

"Continent of Europa, Principality of Gallia like I said and we're somewhere on the west coast."

"And the year?"

"1935," answered Welkin who shared everyone's extreme befuddlement.

"Shit… You'd better come with us then, we're going to see General Blaise," said the leader.

"Who's that?" asked Alicia.

"Commanding officer of the 29th and 18th Battalions of the United States Joint Strike Force," he answered, "I think he was aboard the USS Olympia, last I heard."

"Is it just me or is everyone asleep?" asked one of soldiers who was checking her Cross-Com.

"What the hell! Wake them all up!"

The squad watched this without comprehending a single thing.

* * *

After Rosie finished calling Welkin she returned to the task of policing the ambush site with Knute. Salinas was tending to the stranger in the jeep who was unconscious. Isara was examining the humvee with Montley.

"What an unusual vehicle, its radiators are insufficient for using ragnoline," she opened the bonnet, " Engine layout is essentially the same," she opened the fuel cap and recoiled, "Uses some kind of evil smelling fuel that most likely isn't ragnite derived."

She looked up at the machine gun which also combined with a TOW missile launcher. "A military vehicle obviously," she commented, "But I don't know what these are for," she pointed out the pods which were attached to the corners and the front and back of the vehicle. Those were actually the components of the humvee active protection system against projectile attacks like missiles and shells and shaped charged explosives.

"Reckon we can tow this thing with the Edelweiss?" asked Montley, "I'm guessing Leon and Kreis will want to see it."

"It shouldn't be a problem," replied Isara.

"Both of you stop fawning over that thing and help us over here!" called Rosie.

They had transferred the corpses into the boat that was being towed by the jeep. Eleven of them including the survivor wore a strange gray and white patterned camouflage pattern on their uniforms and the rest had a dotted pattern consisting of different shades of green.

Their weapons were being gathered up as well. Rosie hefted one of these, a SCAR-A1 with an Enhanced Grenade Launcher Module and an ACOG sight. It had the proportions of the Mags series machine gun she used but it also sported a grenade launcher that normally featured on Scout rifles and a scope which seemed more suited to the rifles the squad Snipers used. Shrugging she slung it over her shoulder along with several others she'd found.

Besides weapons a collection of other accessories were also found alongside these unusual soldiers. Some of them were familiar like field rations, binoculars and canteens and but others were just mindboggling. Foldable boards with a glass-like panel and keys similar to those on typewriters for instance.

"I wonder how much these things are? Some of them look really expensive, I've never seen such craftsmanship before, but then they could also be useless," mused Knute.

Once they'd cleared the site Rosie contacted the nearest support unit to clean up the wreckages then the Edelweiss and the jeep set off towing the humvee and the boat full of bodies respectively.

* * *

At Ft Amtriain Varrot worked briskly as she filled out the forms pertaining to the discovery of the unknown soldiers and their equipment. The survivor who was identified as 2nd Lt. Alan Reyes by his dogtags was moved to a guarded isolation ward at the base hospital. The bodies were kept locked in the morgue. Kreis Czherny and Leon Schmidt, the Militia R&D boys were examining the weapons and equipment as well as the strange jeep-like vehicle Isara towed in.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come."

One of the squad medics entered and saluted, one of three identical blonde triplets named Fina, Gina and Mina.

"Yes?"

"Ma'am, the patient, Lt. Reyes has regained consciousness."

"Oh really now? I guess I'll go speak to him now," replied Varrot.

The medic continued, "There's more, he's asking to see the bodies of his squadmates, those ones brought in earlier if I'm correct."

"Alright, I'll go see him at once, what's his condition?"

"Lethargic ma'am, we had him on a 10% ragnaid drip ever since he was admitted but I don't think he'll have the strength to walk. Judging by his physical condition the doctor guessed he'll make a full recovery within a week.

Varrot followed the medic to the isolation room. A pair of MPs sitting outside the door stood and saluted. She waited for the medic to unlock the door and entered alone, shutting the door behind her.

The room was dimly lit with a shielded light, there weren't any windows. She stared over at the pale yellow curtain where the single occupied bed stood. Behind a silhouette could be seen moving about. The curtain drew back and a doctor stepped out.

"How is he?" asked Varrot.

"Insistent, a few broken ribs and a sore arm, he'll get over those quickly," answered the doctor, "Considering the circumstances I'd say that a lot of this is psychological."

"Ok, I'll let you know if I need anything." Said Varrot and after the doctor left she pushed through the curtain.

Alan sat in the bed, staring at his fingers which fidgeted slowly with a thread from the bedsheet he was under. His left torso was bandaged where the humvee door had fallen and pinned him while he was unconscious. His dirty blonde hair looked unkempt and a tick pulsed under his right eye, both of them were blue and had the 1000 yard stare.

"I'm Captain Varrot. Do you know where you are?"

"It's not Kansas that's for sure," came the reply dully.

"What year is it?" asked Varrot.

"2020."

"Evidently you are not of this world. From what we've been able to piece together you're from the United States of America, part of a military unit called the Joint Strike Force neither of which exist and yet here you are."

He didn't answer.

"I'll take that as a yes."

She sighed and remembered the details ambush where they had found him.

"I don't know how you ended up here but can you tell me what happened to your unit?"

At this Alan looked up at her with red rimmed eyes.

Ten minutes later Varrot was steering Alan in a wheelchair towards the morgue. Unlocking the door they shivered as a gust chilled air swept over them. Flicking the light switch 23 cadavers under rubber sheets with their faces visible on gurneys arranged in rows came into view. Alan pointed to one of these and Varrot pushed him over. The body on display was covered head to toe; Alan didn't need to lift the cover to know who it was.

"My first assignment and I got the last of my first team killed," he said in a hollow voice.

"These men meant something to each other, I screwed up and now no one's left."

"I was already involved in the militia and war was since I was fifteen," said Varrot.

"No shit?" asked Alan without looking up.

"The man I loved was tortured to death, Frederic Klein and I both loved Gallia and he chose execution by the enemy over betraying our country... for a while I hated him for leaving me but I remembered that one thing that we had in common."

Alan chewed his lip as he thought this over.

"I was able to continue and thrive thanks to my friends and the Militia," she continued, "I never forgot him." She didn't say that she would also never forget Giorgios Geld, the executioner of Frederic and was still waiting for the day when she would find him.

At that moment the phone in the morgue rang with an eerie echo.

She walked over and answered it, "Captain Varrot speaking."

"Captain, there's been a new development that's just…" she heard Welkin say.

"Calm down Lieutenant Gunther, what is it?"

"It's easier if you speak to him," replied Welkin excitedly.

A moment later a new voice was heard, "Good afternoon Captain Varrot. I'm General Robert Blaise, commanding officer of the 29th Special Operations and the 18th Assault Battalions of the United States Joint Strike Force, now commander of all US forces in Europa."


	5. Making it Official

It didn't take much to get General Damon riled up, although many on the General staff including Varrot and General Devsky would have found it incredibly satisfying to push him into a premature heart attack or stroke. He initially took no interest in the discoveries of the day until Varrot reported on the matter of the Joint Strike Force in a late afternoon meeting.

"What!" he screeched, "Why is it that I'm hearing about this now!" He pointed an accusing finger at Devsky who for once actually looked uneasy.

"But… sir, this matter is actually within the navy's jurisdiction," he spluttered, he would have been sweating if it weren't for the fact that he'd suffered 3rd degree burns almost all over his head and face years earlier.

"On that you're wrong," Admiral Hoffman spoke up, enjoying seeing the chief of Intelligence squirm, "I actually informed General Damon just after lunch today. Besides, our fleet is too far away to respond in time."

"General," said Varrot, sensing that the situation could go overboard, "It's clear that their intents aren't hostile at the moment, the fact that their commanding officer is coming personally to meet with us…"

"I distinctly remember you saying that he's flying here with Squad 7!" snarled Damon, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Apparently they possess aircraft technology, considering the fact that they'll be here in less than half an hour I would imagine that it's far more advanced than anything we, the Empire or the Federation have developed thus far," she replied.

"More technologically advanced than us as well…" said Marshal Van Rheling, "I don't suppose it has anything to do with that Lieutenant and those those fascinating toys of his?"

"We have one of them here as well? Transfer him immediately to the detention block, have an armed guard…"

"I don't think that's a very wise decision," Van Rheling interrupted, "It won't give them a very good impression of us if we detain one of their own."

After contemplating for a minute Damon stood up, his palms left visible prints of sweat on the polished table.

"Alright, we'll go to meet him personally, put everyone on high alert, if they try anything funny we'll be the first to take action," he concluded.

As everyone started to leave he said to Hoffman, "Cancel the Marberry mission, withdraw the fleet and the marines and put them on a defensive footing, I want them ready to pounce on this American force should anything happen."

"Yes sir," answered the Admiral enthusiastically, relived that the predicted failure for the operation would be averted.

* * *

Welkin, Alicia, Largo, Aika and Vyse sat in the back of a Blackhawk helicopter with General Blaise as it swept low fast across western Gallia towards the Amtriain military base. A second Blackhawk carried additional personnel and a security contingent with four AH-80 Blackfoot gunships as an escort.

Welkin and Alicia were immersed with the view outside, watching the treetops speed by down below.

"Wow… it had always been a dream of mine to fly" remarked Welkin, "If Isara could see me now… she'd always wanted to make that true."

"You and Isara never told me that," said Alicia, turning wide eyed to Welkin, "But I can't imagine how you're feeling now that you've fulfilled it."

He turned and grinned, "You have no idea."

Vyse and Aika seemed perfectly at home for some reason unlike Largo who was struggling to hold onto his lunch.

"Hey Largo, look outside, we just passed over the largest veggie patch that you'll ever see," said Vyse with a mischievous smile.

"Leave him alone, it's his first time remember?" Aika gave him a shove, "Relax Largo; it's only a short ride."

Largo could only groan in response, hunched over in his seat. Blaise who was sitting next to him passed him another sickbag. Vyse and Aika had already given theirs to Largo.

"Thanks, sorry about that," Largo said weakly.

"No worries, it's not an easy experience flying for the first time, everyone responds differently to it like your friends here," the general gestured to the others, "By the time this war is over you'll get used to it."

Largo's response was drowned out when he heaved into the bag.

"General do you think you will be asked to involve yourselves in our war and if you are, will you?" Welkin posed the question that had been bugging him ever since they met.

Blaise seemed to think about it, rubbing a hand over his gray flattop hair.

"I've been thinking the same thing Lieutenant and I'm still unsure what we should do at this point," he replied after a while, "I understand it's not our war but we're here at the mercy of your government and if what you've told me is as bad as it seems… I think we will be asked to fight."

It was growing dark outside, the dusk was setting and Ft Amtriain came into view after the Blackhawk flew over a forested ridge. The massive sprawling complex surrounded by wide open grassland was covered with bright dots as the lights came on. Out in the distance beyond the base the city of Randgriz was visible, the castle and its tower illuminated with light.

"Woooww, who knew that the city look could so pretty," exclaimed Alicia, leaning forward.

Down on the ground Squad 7 and everyone else on the base had gathered on the flat clearing in the centre of the base as the helicopters came into view with a buzz that seemed unearthly to all present. Two of them, the larger Blackhawks prepared to land while the 4 Blackfoots circled over like birds of prey.

Isara was jumping up and down with excitement; she'd pushed to get to the front of the crowd. The helicopters landed and Welkin, Alicia, Vyse and Aika hopped out, grinning from ear to ear. Largo followed, taking a shaky step before falling flat on his face.

Squad 7 approached first, followed by Varrot.

"Welkin, you made it! You got to fly! The captain told us about what happened to you…" all of this tumbled out of Isara in a blur.

The rest of the Squad surrounded the four, bombarding them with questions while Rosie and Jann Walker helped Largo get to his feet.

"Geez, now I know what it takes to turn you into a softie Largo," commented Rosie.

"Don't worry Largo, we'll get you all fixed up in no time," said Jann.

Varrot looked on with amusement and then turned to face General Blaise as he approached.

His trained eyes picked out the sentries standing at the front of the milling crowd, their weapons pointed at the ground but they were there nonetheless and some of them held rocket launchers known as 'lancers'. He walked up to Varrot and they exchanged salutes before shaking hands.

"General Blaise, I'm Captain Varrot, we spoke earlier."

"A pleasure Captain," he said with a smile.

"I was instructed to bring you to the meeting of the General staff as soon as possible."

"I understand, but first I would like to see Lt. Reyes first."

"With all due respect sir, my instructions were clear…"

"I won't hear anything of it I'm afraid, I will only meet with your superiors as soon as I'm satisfied that all personnel under my command are being treated well."

Varrot hesitated but relented, "Fair enough, he is your responsibility after all, follow me."

She turned and said to Squad 7, "Ok Squad the evening's off so you're all free."

"Hey Welkin," asked Aika who overheard the conversation, "Why's General Blaise going to see that guy who was brought in by the other team?"

"Haven't a clue, I suppose he is looking after his own people," he replied.

* * *

Blaise followed Varrot followed by his entourage up to the main doors of the HQ building where Van Rheling waited with a squad of military police guards.

"I apologise for this General but you and everyone with you must hand in your weapons if you wish to proceed further."

Blaise looked around and saw that they were being shadowed by more guards. He complied, unholstering his pistol from his belt and handing it grip first to van Rheling. At this the guards stepped forward and began claiming the weapons from the Americans.

Once this was done Van Rheling held out his hand and said, "Well that's over with, you may proceed. I'm Jakob van Rheling, Provost Marshal of the Gallian armed forces."

"Robert Blaise, I believe you know who I am already," he replied, taking the hand, "Will you be attending the meeting?"

"Oh yes, they're ready for you right now."

"Well let them know I've got to see my man first and I'd like to apologise in advance," said Blaise as he stepped through the entrance, leaving a surprised Marshal I his wake.

He was impressed with the HQ as Varrot led him through the corridors. The Americans took in the wide open windows which had good view of the exterior and the paintings hung on the walls of artists they'd never heard of.

When they reached the hospital wind Blaise instructed the rest to remain behind while Varrot led him to the isolation room. The moment he stepped through the door Alan, who was surprised beyond belief attempted get out of his bed to stand but the General waved him down.

"No need for that now son."

"Sir I had no idea you were here at first, let alone the rest of the Force."

"I could hardly believe it myself Lieutenant. But I heard about what happened to your team," Blaise said but added quickly as Alan's head sunk, "Listen carefully, we've only got each other to remind us of home… only us. And I can't have you going all depressed on me now. Uncle Sam has invested too much time and money training you, making you into what you are. And now, especially now we can't have you falling apart…"

Varrot watched from behind the soundproof glass of the door. The General showed a concern for his soldier which seemed a little unusual, especially when considering the current generation of officers in command. She checked her watch; the meeting will have to start late.

Ten minutes later Blaise came out.

"Lead the way Captain."

They walked faster this time and a few minutes later they were at the door to the conference room. Instructing his staff to remain outside he took the only thing he needed, a top of the line holographic pad. Varrot eyed the device curiously, to her it looked like a glass and metal slate but after seeing the technology the 'strangers' possessed it likely served a function that the General intended to impress the staff with.

Varrot pushed the door open and the two of them entered. The conference room was long and a large polished wooden table took up the centre with the Damon sitting at the front along with the rest of the staff. After returning Varrot and Blaise's salutes he motioned for everyone to be seated with Blaise directly opposite him at the table.

"Well General, I hope you're impressed with our headquarters…" Damon began, referencing Blaise's premature tour of the building to meet Alan.

"I apologise profusely for any inconvenience it may have caused you General Damon," said Blaise in reply.

He noticed that Damon didn't answer for a moment until a nasty looking fellow sitting on his right who looked like he had Botox treatment and a wig whispered into his ear.

"Well I can understand that," Damon replied stiffly, "Your concern for your subordinate is touching."

This didn't come out very convincingly to Varrot and she was sure Blaise wasn't fooled either. They were a study in contrasts in more than one way. Damon in his usual Gallian army uniform resplendent with medals while Blaise wore a far more utilitarian camouflaged ACU with minimal decoration to indicate his rank.

He passed his holographic pad to the middle of the table he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I understand you requested a demonstration of our capabilities. While I'm sure you were expecting a parade or exercise involving the forces at my command but I can show you everything we're capable of with this presentation. Umm, is it possible to dim the lights in here?"

* * *

Back on the field Welkin was having a hard time dragging Isara away from the helicopter aircrews.

"This is so awesome! I now understand how something like this can fly, the main rotor on top lifts the chassis into the air while the tail rotor acts to counter the torque," she said to one of the Blackhawk pilots.

"Exactly, most of our older helicopters like these rely on the traditional tail rotor are susceptible to enemy fire so newer designs like those…" the pilot pointed to an AH-80, "Use a new canard rotor/wing design which not only removes that vulnerability but makes also dramatically improves manoeuvrability."

"Come on Isara, we need to go now," said Welkin, taking her by the arm, "Sorry if she was a bother."

"She wasn't any Lieutenant," replied the pilot.

"Why Welkin? We might not get to see those things again and how would you like it if I dragged you away from some new species of bug that came from another universe?" she pouted.

"Oh I have a feeling that we'll be seeing more of those in the war," he replied pensively.

* * *

**I will find a way to involve the Enforcer Corps and the Spetsnaz later; they enter the VC universe at the same time as the JSF. You may have guessed that the EC and Spetsnaz will side with the Federation and the Empire respectively. However I intend to keep the status quo between Gallia and the Federation despite the fact that the JSF and EC are at war. Regular army support won't be available to the Americans since the carrier group was only carrying the 2 JSF battlions and their equipment. Please send feedback and I'll try to address any concerns you readers have.**


	6. Reduced Capability

**Many thanks for the feedback, there'll be OCs being introduced over the next few chapters but I won't allow them to take over. Please read and review. **

* * *

It had been a week since General Blaise and the Principality of Gallia came to an agreement. The Americans were essentially homeless while Gallia was on the back foot despite the hard-won victories at Kloden and Vasel. The answer to both their problems was simple; Prime Minister Maurits von Borg offered the Americans sanctuary in return for their services in defending the country. A joint US-Gallian command was established in which JSF personnel would be attached as advisors and specialists to Gallian units. This included combat operations, training and support. The rest of the American forces will remain under a separate chain of command to the Gallians.

Meanwhile only a trickle of JSF personnel was leaving Site Echo 11 on the Gallian west coast. This was because of a massive quarantine effort in an effort to minimise the impact of any foreign species that may also have made the 'transition'. The quarantine extended to any form of media which were brought by the Americans, most of them called it censorship. The operation was centred aboard the USS Bannerman, a new electronic and cyberwarfare vessel. It was a successor the USS Clarence E Walsh which was sunk years ago. This made it the second most important ship besides the Olympia as it had the same capabilities of a Missile Defence Uplink Node. Over 9000GB of pornography and other unsavoury material had been purged within one hour when the selected staff aboard the Bannerman made an inquiry into the Cross-Com network.

Meanwhile at Ft Amtriain the first signs of change were evident. The US fleet of Blackhawk, V-25 Goshawk and V-120 Valkyrie helicopters flew in and out regularly to drop off supplies in the main field. Across the main field the prefabricated buildings to house the JSF HQ, barracks, motor pool and airstrip were being established. JSF personnel could be seen around the base. The majority were staff officers who returned to their own quarters when they were finished. Combat personnel however were allowed to billet in the same barracks as the Gallian units they were with.

Welkin was watching a caterpillar crawl along the windowsill in his office, listening to the Drill Instructor Sergeant Calvaro 'Ramrod' Rodriguez exhorting Squad 7 during a PT exercise.

"One Mile!" bellowed Rodriguez as he jogged alongside the Squad.

"One Mile!" the Squad repeated, as they jogged around the base in the clear morning sun.

"Aint Shit!" he shouted.

"Aint Shit!" they followed.

"Two Miles!" he continued.

"Two Miles!"

"Ramrod must have learnt that from the Americans. I've been hearing new cuss words from him ever since we've been cross training with them."

Welkin jumped at hearing Faldio Landzaat voice so suddenly from behind.

"Geez Faldio was that really necessary?" spluttered Welkin in surprise.

"Your door was open and knowing you and your interests it was easy to get in close," Faldio replied with a grin, "Wow it's cool in here, it was uncomfortably warm outside."

"It's the air conditioners that Isara made a month ago. I predicted a temperature rise so she made one for my office and the recreation room," said Welkin.

"Been paying attention to GBS radio weather reports?" asked Faldio, although he strongly suspected something else.

"No, I just measured the number of cricket chirps per minute outside my office, subtracted 40 from the figure, then divided the result by 7 and added 10 to the quotient to get an approximation of the temperature in Celsius. I graphed the results over a week and predicted the trend."

Faldio stared at him blankly and said, "Welkin… you can just use a thermometer you know," he sighed and continued, "Anyway the Captain needs to see all the Squad commanders about our new advisors and specialists."

He checked his watch and started to leave. Welkin turned to look at the caterpillar but in its place stood a magpie with a full beak. Shaking his head he followed.

"How many of these JSF guys are there?" asked Welkin when he caught up.

"I think there are two battalions of them so it's about 3000 fighting men and women."

"That'll sure be a boost to our war effort."

"Not really, most of their tanks and aircraft are useless as they don't run on ragnoline so our engineers are helping them out with redesigning their engines."

"I'm sure we'll hear more about that later, I wonder how many are we getting?" Welkin asked curiously as they stopped and knocked on the door of Varrot's office.

"Beats me, apparently Damon's already ticked off because they're arriving so slowly."

At that moment they heard Varrot beckoning them to enter. Opening the door they stepped in to see one side of the room filled with the commanders of the other Militia squads of the 3rd Regiment. On the other stood an equal number of JSF officers. Standing next to Varrot there stood her American counterpart, a man wearing a tan beret and captain's bars.

As soon as they'd entered Varrot called everyone to attention and started, "As you may know, American personnel will be attached to all branches of the Gallian military including the Militia. Each Militia squad will be assigned a JSF officer as an advisor and liaison and a pool of JSF combat and support specialists will be shared between every two squads. Captain Torres here will tell you more."

The American stepped forward and addressed the room, "I'm Captain Javier Torres of the 75th US Army Ranger Regiment. I will be in charge of all American personnel with the Gallian Militia of the 3rd Regiment."

He continued, "JSF personnel are derived from all branches of the US Special Operations Command and have undergone vigorous training and selection procedures to become what they are. The purpose of having us working together is to augment the capabilities of the Militia and to familiarise with each others tactics, strategies and equipment. All of this is to improve interoperability of US and Gallian forces in the future."

"If there are problems with the people you've been assigned please refer either one of us," said Varrot, she then began reading off the list of names of the Americans and then the squad they were assigned as well its commander.

As each name was called the American and the Gallian officer shook hands and were given a folder containing new orders by Torres before leaving the room. A few minutes later it was just Faldio and Welkin left as the Gallians. However the only American left was a young woman with short braided black hair.

"She seems quite the looker doesn't she? Who'll be the lucky one out of us?" whispered Faldio to Welkin with a smile.

"Huh?" Welkin was actually looking at her shoulder patch which bore a curious illustration of a black spider with a red hourglass shaped spot on its abdomen, "I wasn't staring at her, just that spider on her shoulder, never seen one like that before."

Faldio sighed in exasperation.

"2nd Lieutenant Avril Dolburn you're assigned to Squad 1, 2nd Lieutenant Faldio Landzaat is its commanding officer."

"Lucky me," breathed Faldio under his breath to Welkin before stepping forward but before shaking hands with Avril he realised that there wasn't anyone left.

"Excuse me Captain but what about Lt Gunther?" he asked to Varrot.

Varrot looked up in surprise, "Oh I'm sorry about this but it just seems that there isn't anyone else here on the list, you'll have to wait until Captain Torres can arrange for someone else."

She suspected that Damon placed Squad 7 in a lower priority until Avril spoke up, "How about Lt Reyes? He's a friend and the last I checked on him he's ready to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow."

Torres thought about this for a while, "I'd imagine that he's had it rough lately and that story about the ambush and his survival got out pretty quickly…"

"I don't know, he was quite shaken up when I spoke to him, though it's not really my responsibility to comment but I think he's just got survivor's guilt." Varrot turned to Torres for his opinion.

"He is combat qualified and trained by the best so it'll be a waste to write him off."

"So what's the verdict sir, ma'am?" asked Welkin hesitantly.

"I'll see if I can have him transferred," answered Torres with a shrug, "If not then it'll probably take at least a month to find someone else."

"Better than nothing I guess, well that's partly solved," said Faldio as he took his folder from Torres.

"We'll let you know if anything changes," concluded Varrot, "Alright you're dismissed."

Once Welkin, Faldio and Avril left the room Faldio turned on his charm and held out his hand, "I'm Faldio Landzaat, just Faldio will do."

"Well in that case, you will still have to refer to me as Lt Dolburn," she replied almost coldly and took the folder out of Faldio's other hand.

A flicker of disappointment crossed his face for a moment but he quickly regained his composure with a smile. So it's going to be tough he thought. Welkin noticed this too but declined to comment, knowing his friend's reputation.

"Seems that Squad 1 and 7 will be sharing four specialists together," she remarked as she flipped through its contents.

"I think it's an unspoken rule that allied counterparts should familiarise with each other, how about we do this over lunch?" Faldio tried again.

"I'm afraid I'll have to pass on that, I need to get my things organised in my new quarters as quickly as possible before we need to get busy. I'll meet you and the rest of Squad 1 when I'm done," she retorted and turned on her heel and started to leave.

"The most conceited woman I've ever met," whispered Faldio, "At least I won't need to get her number."

"If you were looking for a productive and professional working relationship I'd say you're on the right track, but… if I may use the analogy of birds…"

"Ok I get the idea," interrupted Faldio.

* * *

The next morning Alan Reyes was awoken by one of the medics.

"Good morning lieutenant," she greeted cheerily while dropping off a bundle of clothes at the foot of his bed, "You need to go see Captain Torres as soon as you're discharged. Here's your uniform and I've been told to let you know that all your personal effects have been moved onto the base. He should have more info for you about that."

"Thanks Gina," said Alan, he'd familiarised himself a little with the triplets during his week of recovery.

"You got it wrong again Alan," she rolled her eyes, "Anyway here's something for you to eat and you can freshen up by the wash basin. The doctor will be in here to formally discharge you in twenty minutes. "

"Alright thank you and remember to thank your sisters on by behalf as well," he called as she left.

He looked at the tray next to his bed which held his breakfast. Despite his disdain for the culinary skills of a certain taxpayer funded institution built up during Ranger School, he found that the hospital menu surprisingly good. The cheese wasn't processed like the stuff in MREs; the vegetables were fresh, not quick frozen and microwaved while the bread was top notch.

Once he was done he went over to the wash basin and unzipped the pouch hanging below the wall mounted mirror. It was a Gallian military standard issue personal hygiene kit, consisting of toothpaste (active ingredient pentaragnosilic acid), toothbrush and pocket mirror etcetera. Pulling out a razor Alan stared at it uncertainly. He really needed a shave but he was too used to using an electronic shaver. At that moment he noticed a Gallian guard leaning idly against the door, watching him.

Did they think he was going to off himself with the razor? Alan wondered, especially after the incident of the previous week. Ignoring the guy, he tentatively started with the stubble on his neck going upwards. It took near nine minutes but as he was working on his sideburns the tick under his right eye pulsed again.

"Dammit!" he swore under his breath as he washed the blood off the razor and tried again as the guard clucked his tongue, whether in disapproval or sympathy it was unclear.

By the time he'd finished with a few more minor scrapes and brushed his teeth there was a knock on the door. The guard opened it and left as the doctor came in followed by a black woman with curly brown hair in an Airman Battle Uniform.

"This is Staff Sergeant Sierra Harris. She's one of several medical liaisons from the Joint Strike Force," the doctor said curtly, "Please sit down Lt Reyes. This is just a final check-up before we can discharge you."

"Pleasure to meet you Lieutenant, hope you're recovery was good."

"I can't really complain," Alan replied with a forced smile as the doctor worked on him with his stethoscope.

He raised his arm to offer handshake but the doctor clamped over it with a manometer cuff. He winced as the strap tightened over his elbow. It seemed a little uncomfortably tight for a blood pressure reading. The doctor also seemed a little abrupt in his manner Alan noted.

"So what exactly are you doing here?" he asked Sierra.

"Oh, I'm just here to work alongside the doctors and nurses here at the hospital. The brass wanted to ensure that medical procedures for both the Gallian and US forces can work together in the event of emergencies. It's really huge all this stuff that's going on now that we're working together because all the other branches have their counterparts…"

"Alright," interrupted Alan. Her speech was quite fast. "Are you like a doctor?" he asked.

"Not really, I'm with the Air Force Pararescue. I joined just after getting nursing degree from John Hopkins. I really wanted a frontline position and my CO promised that just as we left the States but everything changed last week as you may know and here I am back at a hospital…"

Alan's mouth dropped open at that, the doctor took advantage of this to stick a paddle-pop stick onto his tongue and peer down his throat with a penlight.

While this was happening Alan thought that meant Sierra wasn't just a nurse, she also had the sheer determination to complete 'Superman School'. A gruelling training process for the Pararescue unit which the highest dropout rate of all the other US Special Operations training courses. That made her an elite combat paramedic, a 'PJ' as they were informally known and a superwoman at that.

The doctor finished and as he stripped off his gloves he said, "Ok, seems you're in good health. These pills are for any pain and they also come from your stocks. The instructions of the prescription should be clear and if there're any problems consult one of your doctors." He handed Alan a bottle.

Now he understood what Sierra was going on about and why the doctor was seemed almost bitter. With different procedures it would be difficult for Gallian and US medics to work together. Even the simple task for a doctor to prescribe drugs to a patient of the other country will require consultation with his/her counterpart.

He accepted the bottle and thanked the doctor as he left. Before Sierra left to follow she bade him goodbye.

"Maybe we'll run into each other again, hopefully without you as a patient," she said as she shut the door behind her.

Once she was gone Alan turned to his bundle of clothes: his Army Combat Uniform, black combat boots and fingerless gloves and his green beret. His left arm flared up painfully when he raised it to pull on his shirt; he took a pill to suppress the pain. As he put on his beret he felt the bandages covering his neck a feature that would stick out like a sore thumb. Feeling human once again he opened the door so see the same grunt waiting outside.

"Follow me," he ordered.

They walked in silence out of the hospital wing, Alan ignoring the curious stares from the staff and patients. Here and there was an American officer but they seemed too busy to notice him. The headquarters building was vast and Alan realised how easily he could get lost in this place. Finally they stopped at a door.

"Here you are Lieutenant," the Gallian spoke abruptly before leaving Alan, a little puzzled about his almost rude manner.

Apprehensively he knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Pushing open the door Alan saw Captain Torres standing behind a desk untidily covered with papers. An aide was working on a scanner in the corner before Torres shooed him out.

"2nd Lieutenant Alan Reyes reporting in sir."

The layout of the room also reflected the state of the JSF and its with filing cabinets open and boxes lying on the ground. The previous occupant had clearly left in a hurry. Torres returned Alan's salute as soon as the aide had left and shut the room.

"Have a seat Lieutenant Reyes," he beckoned to a chair, "just dump those papers on the ground, I'm burning all these hardcopies once I've had them digitised and archived."

Alan shook the pile of documents off the offered chair and sat while Torres walked around the desk and sat on its edge.

"Lieutenant Reyes, I'm Captain Torres, I'm in charge of all JSF personnel who are with…" He gave the same spiel he gave to everyone else on the previous day.

"Basically you're going to be our liaison and advisor to Squad 7 which is led by 2nd Lieutenant Welkin Gunther," Torres finished.

Alan didn't answer as he wondered why he was getting another assignment he knew next to nothing about so quickly after his first disastrous one.

"Well Lieutenant, I know what you're probably thinking… why me? I don't know any more than you do about why we're here. I don't care if it's the work of some scientist's experiment with teleportation, a schoolgirl goddess changing reality, the Infinite Improbability Drive, a time travelling hot tub or an ancient alien wormhole device." Torres got up and walked up to a map of an unfamiliar continent on a corkboard.

"All I know and what everyone in the Army knows is that the Army works in strange and mysterious ways…"

"Oh so that's the branch he favours," thought Alan who glanced at the Ranger tab sewn onto Torres' sleeve and his tan Ranger beret on the table. "It could be the work of a schoolgirl goddess scientist experimenting with teleportation, time travel and reality by coupling an Infinite Improbability Drive onto an ancient alien hot tub that generates wormholes." He kept that to himself however as Torres continued.

"The Army doesn't send you where you want or even where you're best suited for. It sends you where you're needed." With that he pointed straight onto the continent labelled as Europa. "And it seems we're needed here and you're needed for this war.

"What war exactly?"

"If I were to fill you in on the context of the region it'll take us the rest of the day. I'll tell you this much." Torres ripped the map off the corkboard and sat behind his desk while placing it on his desk to Alan could see.

"Here's the Principality of Gallia." Torres pointed to a small country shaded in blue on the north of the continent. "They were kind enough to offer us a new home provided we fight on their behalf."

He pointed to the western half of the continent which was shaded in white. "Here's the Atlantic Federation, they resemble the Eurotrash that we'd been fighting and they're at war with the East Europan Imperial Alliance."

He indicated the east of the continent in red. "They're an autocratic empire which resembles Czarist Russia with an Emperor as head of state. Anyways Gallia is being invaded by the Empire and we've been given the go-ahead to 'assist Gallian defensive operations in any way practical' which is our mandate to blow stuff up."

"Wait a sec, since we have no way of getting home how are we getting resupplied? I mean the Empire is huge, it doesn't look like we can take them on," spoke Alan, who was visibly sweating as he noticed another map on the table showing half of Gallia shaded in red.

"I was just getting to that and you're right, we've only got what we brought with us. Our helos are sucking up most of our JP-8 and other fuels. Hence, the carrier air wings of the Olympia and the smaller carriers as well as the few air force squadrons with us will be severely limited in their capability and range." Torres started to tick off his fingers.

"We're also saving our land vehicle fuels for transport operations so the same applies to our tanks and combat vehicles. Because of this we've been forced to allow Gallian engineers to study our vehicle designs so we can adapt to their fuel source which I can't be bothered explaining.

"I thought those designs were classified sir?"

"Desperate times Lieutenant, desperate times... We don't even use the same type of munitions and equipment. Before long we may have to begin using locally produced stuff since we lack the ability to replace our small arms, artillery and missiles among many things. The National Arsenal is working with us to produce 'next generation' standardised weapons for the Gallians and us. All I known is that the assault rifle concept they're discussing will likely be something based off the AR series."

"A slow start eh? How long before they're done with that?"

"It's a round-the-clock effort for both so hopefully soon. Anyway it gets worse. The enemy we're facing is low tech compared to us so electronic strikes won't do jack against them. And without satellite and Uplink assets our overall capability and range is reduced to say… 30-40%."

Alan leaned back, taking all of this in. He and the rest of the Force had set off on their mission, confident that they could deliver the killing blow to the enemy and hasten the end of the war. Now they were about to fight half-arsed war against an unknown enemy.

"Alright I've ranted enough at you about where we stand. You're getting Squad 7 whether you like it or not. Lt Gunther has already had combat experience and from what I've head his unit was doing well."

Torres handed Alan a thick folder.

"The Squad is out on exercises and they'll be back after lunch. Make sure you read these and you also need to know the men and women behind the files. Even though I haven't met them either. But if you do you'll do just fine."

Alan sighed thinking there's no point in arguing further and glanced at the list on top of the folder and then Captain Varrot's name. "Do I report to both of you?"

"Yes, I made that clear earlier so don't forget that you'll answer to her as well," answered Torres, "So tell me who's going to show you the ropes and too keep you from doing anything stupid while you're in Squad 7?"

Alan replied tentatively, "Umm… Lt Gunther?"

"Wrong!" barked the captain. "Haven't you realised that there's a saying in the army that the best small unit commanders are those who listen to their NCOs?" he asked incredulously. "In this case the most senior… is a Sergeant Melchiott," he continued after checking the list.

"Understood sir."

"Do you understand that you will have a responsibility in leading the Squad as well? I want Squad 7 mobile when Varrot or I say 'move' and to jump when either of us give the word." Torres' brown eyes bore into Alan.

"Understood sir."

"Good Lieutenant, you're dismissed."

As Alan opened the door while trying not to spill his folder's contents out the side he heard Torres call out, "One more thing, Lt Reyes, stay clear off my shit-list as well."

* * *

The Mi-55 Locust helicopter banked and circled over Wroclaw Air Force Base which was once in Poland but overrun by the Russian onslaught in the war. After NATO and the European Federation, the Russians used Wroclaw AFB as their primary forward base for air operations in Western Europe. The helicopter and its occupants were escorted by a squadron of heavily armed and armoured Ka-65 Howler gunships and the lesser but formidable Ka-52s.

On the vast runways 2 battalions of the Spetsnaz Guard Brigade the best fighting force in Russia, snapped to attention as the helicopter landed. The lined up within their ranks were the Wolves and Bears, elite light infantry and combat engineers respectively, fearsome in appearance with their weapons at their sides. The SGB vehicle crews were lined in front of their vehicles the most powerful the world has ever seen in terms of armaments. T-100 Ogre main battle tanks for example, bristling with 27mm AA cannons and Bumblebee flamethrowers in addition to their 125mm cannons.

Behind the SGB was an entire regiment consisting of three battalions of VDV paratroopers, some of the toughest soldiers in Russia other than the SGB. Behind them were the vehicles of the regular Russian army and their crews: BTR-90s and BMPTs, T-80 and 90 tanks and SA-22 anti-aircraft vehicles. Stored inside the hangers were dozens of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. The latest from Sukhoi such as the Su-38 Slamhound strike fighter and from Mikoyan as well. Tupolev Backfire and Blackjack bombers with long range supersonic missiles and monstrous An-120 strategic airlifters.

Prince Maximilian remained composed as he looked out the window of the helicopter at the display, evidently meant to impress and intimidate. The only problem now was whether to share this discovery with his father, the Emperor of the EEIA and the rest of the military. The rest of the Triumvirate consisting of Major General Berthold Gregor, Brigadier General Selveria Bles and Major General Jaeger noticed the dilemma playing out in the prince as he turned and smiled coldly at each one of them.

"I'm still uncertain about adding another to our inner circle, his insistence on being treated as an equal nearly got an entire company of ours killed," Gregor spoke up.

For once Selveria had to agree whole heartedly with the eldest of the Triumvirate. "I must concur with General Gregor on this your Grace, to think that they could flaunt your authority…"

She was silenced by a look from Maximilian. "I must admit that Major General Borodin Lukin's sheer audacity is refreshing, in fact I am looking forward to this meeting."

"Well Brody as he likes to be called is an interesting character, but complex, that's what I think," said Jaeger. He was the first to personally meet the Russian general during preliminary negotiations.

The helicopter engine cut out and the pilot ran out to open the door. As Maximilian and the other generals stepped out he took off his helmet and flight jacket, revealing a row of medals decorating his dress uniform underneath.

"Welcome Prince Maximilian your highness, it's a true pleasure and honour to have you and your most trusted generals as our guests today," said General Lukin after handing exchanging his helmet and jacket for his service cap. He grinned and gave a bow before saluting to the Triumvirate.

"I see they were right when they said you were an interesting man," answered Maximilian, who remained straight faced while the other generals looked absolutely flabbergasted.

"But complex eh?" continued Lukin, his grin broadening as his black hair whipping across his handsome Slavic face, "Come and join me in inspecting the men and women at our command."

"So he was listening to us while we were inside the helicopter, how unconventional of him. He'll make a good ally, though we should have him on a short leash," thought Maximilian.


	7. Ready or Not?

**I know that everything seems slow at the moment but I promise action soon. Please send feedback and I'll make changes if necessary. As for pairings I'm considering Faldio and Avril at the moment. The additional OCs will only play supporting roles, only one per chapter perhaps.  
**

* * *

The first thing Alan did after leaving Torres' office was to find out where he would be billeting. He remembered that it was supposed to be in the Bachelor Officers Quarters as opposed to the main barracks buildings for enlisted personnel. The BOQ was where most commissioned officers without dependants stayed. After asking at least four different people for directions he finally found himself in the right corridor. Finding his room he unlocked the door to a sparsely furnished room with a single bed, wardrobe and a desk. Between each pair of rooms there was an additional room that connected the two containing a small kitchen and behind that a bathroom. This area was obviously meant to be shared between the occupants of both rooms.

Thinking that he'd better find out who he'd be sharing the toilet with, Alan walked outside to his neighbour's door and knocked. No one answered so he checked the room number but there was no name in the slot yet. Cursing under his breath he turned around to look at the pair of rooms opposite just as Faldio exited one of them.

"Oh hello there. Lt Reyes I presume?" he greeted.

"Yes that's me and you're…?"

"I'm Lt Faldio Landzaat the commanding officer of Squad 1, your squad and mine will be working together."

"I see, I'd only just been briefed twenty minutes ago. How did you know who I was so quickly?"

"Ah…" replied Faldio, "Under the new joint command structure each commanding officer is assigned to billet next to his counterpart. And that room you're standing just outside happens to be Welkin Gunther's, I happen to know that you've been assigned to him so that's how I know who you are."

"Well I guess that would make sense Lt Landzaat."

"Just call me Faldio."

"Alright Faldio, call me Alan then… So do you know Lt Gunther?" asked he after a slight pause.

"Of course I do, same university year but different classes, he was into biology, mainly zoology or something like that. I did archaeology."

Alan noticed how he and Faldio were similar in age and asked, "Did you finish your studies?"

"Nah, the war obviously interrupted everything and under policy of Universal Conscription everyone was called up for active duty."

Alan was truly taken aback. "Straight out of college and into the firing line? That's kinda sudden. How long did you guys get to train?"

Strangely enough Faldio waved it off. "Don't look so surprised; even before conscription into the Militia everyone who goes to school has military training. Tertiary education doubles as officer school."

"Wow and I thought West Point was intense," thought Alan aloud.

"What's that? And how did you start military service?" Faldio questioned curiously.

"I enrolled at West Point Military Academy when I was 17, spent four years there and graduated in the class of 2019." Alan held up his class ring. "Didn't know what to do after that, so since I had an officer's commission in the army I went to Ranger School and then the Special Forces Qualification Course. Then I got sent out with the Force for my first mission and here I am."

"A newly trained spec-ops officer huh? You're already way overqualified here," said Faldio; it was his turn to be surprised.

"But I never saw combat till…" Alan stopped and chewed his lip. "Well until last week. I almost got my chance at the start of the year when Artemis Corporation went to war with us; it took… say less than 3 days before they capitulated. By the time we'd mobilised from Ft Bragg the war was over and the job of hunting down the head honchos went to some unit called D Company, 4th Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group." He stopped, realising he'd gone off on a tangent.

Faldio stood there with his mouth open. As soon as he'd regained composure he said, "Wow, a war fought and won in less than 3 days… That's really beyond my imagination. You sure are a lot more open than my liaison living next door."

"Who's that?"

"Lt Avril Dolburn, from the 10th Battalion of the 4th Psychological Operations Group. That's all I got out of her after she moved in."

Alan started chewing his lip, suddenly feeling uncomfortable which Faldio noticed.

"Something wrong?"

"No, it's just that Avril and I aren't really on speaking terms."

This caught Faldio's attention. "Oh, so you two…"

"No," cut in Alan, "What you're suggesting is totally in the opposite direction. What I mean is that we had a personal rivalry during our time at West Point, it extended beyond simply the curriculum you see…"

"So you and her were like… enemies?"

He nodded.

"Geez, but she said you were friends and she even checked up on you in hospital."

"Yeah, that was the first time I saw her ever since graduation, caught a glimpse of her at the door to my room and that was it. They say she's intelligent, adaptive and competitive. I say she's cunning, manipulative and ruthless."

"Ah well, I didn't think she was too nasty to me… she just needs time I reckon…" Faldio replied with a wink.

Alan didn't look convinced. He was tempted to ask how many of Avril's ex-boyfriends Faldio had spoken to.

Faldio checked his watch and said, "Listen I'd better get going now, time really flies you know…"

They shook hands and he said, "I look forward to working with you in the future.'

As he left Alan called after him, "Hey Faldio!"

He turned, "Yeah?"

"I almost forgot to ask… what's Lt Gunther like?"

Faldio just smiled wryly in response. "I won't spoil the surprise but I think both of you will work together well."

* * *

Alan studied the personnel files alone on a table in the mess hall. He arrived halfway through lunch after studying the Vasel and Kloden victories by Squad 7. He shuddered at the thought of having to work with Avril again; remembering the hours spent 'walking the area' in the barracks courtyard as punishment because of her.

He first looked at the files which consisted of JSF specialists, picking out only the important details. According to the set guidelines only one will be available for each operation.

* * *

Sergeant Liam Rossi, 26. Born in Utah, joined the Marine Corps and then Force Recon and trained as a scout sniper. Repeatedly earned Expert grades as a rifleman for his Marksmanship badge. Tours of duty in Brazil during the war with Las Trinidad and north-eastern US during the Artemis conflict.

_Semper Fidelis _

_Eagle, Globe and Anchor _

_Typical jarhead cut and the face has a pinkish tinge due to acne scars. Maybe I'll troll him by asking if he's in the army. _

Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Bell, 28. Philadelphia born and bred. Navy SEAL Team 2. Pioneer infantry which combined the roles of a combat engineer, EOD specialist and anti-tank gunner. A member of the team during the botched mission in Copenhagen. Fought in the Baltics, Russia and Germany in the war.

_The Only Easy Way Was Yesterday_

_Eagle and the Trident _

_Look at those BCGs (Birth Control Glasses), but he looks like he can carry all his gear without the Pioneer exoskeleton._

The next one which was unexpected.

Staff Sergeant Sierra Harris, 27. Lived in New Orleans during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Completed a nursing degree at John Hopkins University. Joined Air Force Pararescue. Brief peacekeeping stint in Mali before the war, no prior combat experience otherwise. Combat medic assigned to a support role for Squad 7.

_That Others May Live _

_An angel holding a globe in front of a parachute. _

_From an angle she looks a bit like a slimmed down Beyonce. Seems like she'll be getting her front line job after all. _

Sergeant Syd Martin, 25. Commando from the New Zealand Special Air Service, CQB and hand-to-hand combat specialist. UK, Canadian, Australian and NZ Special Forces regularly went on exchange with the JSF following its inception. Operated alongside Australian forces in counter-drug and terrorist operations around the Pacific Rim.

_Who Dares Wins _

_The famous Winged Dagger_

_Looks more like a surfer kid, what's more is that he's older than me. The girls will surely fall for that light tan of his. _

* * *

Alan looked up as he heard the clamour announcing the arrival of Squad 7 in the mess hall.

"Can't believe it we're going to be last. Everyone else gets to try out the new toys," complained Wendy Cheslock as she picked up a tray.

"Oh quit whining, I heard we're going to meet our new guy today," said Hermes behind her.

She didn't seem to care, saying, "But gave you seen Squad 5 out on the field trying out the Mk.47 grenade launcher? It looked sooo awesome how one gun made the field look like it was under concentrated mortar bombardment. The sooner he comes the sooner we get to try the new toys."

"The sooner he comes the sooner we can meet those new specialists. I heard one of them is some hawt paramedic," said Salinas Milton as his meal was slopped onto his plate.

"Hell yeah!" replied Hermes enthusiastically, "Let's see who can get her number first."

"You're on!" The two of them fist bumped.

Wendy scowled as she looked from her two overexcited squadmates to the pile of food on her plate. Unsure which she was more disgusted with she stalked off to find a seat.

"Who are those two strapping lads? One of them looks familiar," thought Alan as he opened the folder with the Squad 7 roster.

He flicked through the photos, finding the ones that matched the two men at the line. The profiles of Salinas and Hermes confirmed they're competent in their roles as shocktrooper and scout respectively. Both seem to enjoy the company of the fairer sex. Salinas however appears to have an unusual affinity for tanks while Hermes had an important notice concerning his below average performance in PT due to chronic fatigue.

Mildly intrigued, Alan checked on the girl with the white cap and the brown streaks under her eyes whom he heard first. Wendy was a recluse who apparently blew the roof off her house before the war. Though she was a shocktrooper she enjoyed fielding homemade explosive weaponry and had been reprimanded more than once for this.

_Probably threw sodium into water just for the kicks in science class._

He looked over at a large gnarly guy sat there with sideburns and a bowl of salad in front of him talking to a red headed woman.

"I heard that the Imperials stopped their advance a few days after the arrival of the Americans, maybe they got wind of their arrival," Largo mumbled through a full mouth.

Rosie shook her head, "Don't talk through a full mouth, Hans has got more manners than you I swear. Anyway if the Imperials know of their capabilities they would be withdrawing."

Largo swallowed and answered, "But right now it looks like they're just holding territory, there has been no major deployments this whole week."

"I guess we should be thankful for that… but half our country's now under occupation so this war's far from over," she replied, wiping her mouth before changing the subject. "By the way I got an idea of who this new liaison is going to be."

Alan watched as she leaned towards Largo and whispered into his ear. Largo's face changed from one of surprise, disbelief and then disgust. Hopefully they weren't talking about him he thought as he checked their profiles.

Largo Potter, a veteran from the first Europan war. Has the role of lancer or anti-tank gunner. Also the unofficial squad nutritionist and encourages vegetable consumption. Also values combat experience above all else.

_Looks like I'm off to a good start. _

Brigitte 'Rosie' Stark, a former bar singer now shocktrooper. Parents were killed in her early childhood. Not much after that. A post-it note on her file indicated that she's strongly prejudiced against Darcsens.

Alan checked the folder contents but there wasn't anything in the folder about Darcsens though. He might need to find an encyclopaedia or ask Lt Gunther in his spare time.

Right on cue Rosie got up to leave but bumped into Nadine on the way out.

"Next time make way, dark-hair." She shoved the blue-haired woman away before stomping off.

Thinking that was a pejorative or slur he checked for the woman with blue hair. Sure enough Nadine is a Darcsen. Feeling a little guilty about the manner in which this discovery was made he read on. She's an engineer so she's meant to repair equipment, provide ammunition and defuse explosives. Also happens to study literature at university.

Hearing a loud yelp behind him Alan turned to see a boy with orange juice running through his hair. A girl with silver hair in pigtails sat next to him holding an empty glass.

"Homer next time don't make such a silly suggestion," said Edy.

"Ahh, it feels so sticky, I need a shower after this," complained Homer. He licked some of the juice that had dribble down his face.

"That's gross Homer. I'll teach you how to behave around a lady," groaned Edy before shoving him off the bench.

_It's clear who wears the pants in this relationship._

At that moment the PA system summoned Squad 7 to their hanger. Knowing that it was his cue, Alan got up as well and followed the rest of the Squad at a discreet distance.

* * *

Just outside the main hanger Welkin was waiting with Isara for the Squad and Alan to show up. Slowly the Squad streamed inside organised themselves into ranks.

Isara spotted Alan approaching, "Hey Welkin, is that him?"

"I think you're right."

Welkin put on his most welcoming smile as Alan came up.

"Are you Lt Gunther?"

"Yes that's me, Lt Reyes but just Welkin will do, we do things a little differently here."

"Alright Welkin… I guess I've got to introduce myself don't I?"

"Yeah, I've read up on your credentials and I'm impressed. The rest of the Squad don't know much about you so it will make sense. This is my sister Isara by the way."

Alan raised an eyebrow. "You're both siblings?"

"Yes, I was adopted into the Gunther family and Welkin has treated me like a sister ever since."

"I see… well pleased to meet you Isara." He turned to Welkin, "I've done some reading on your team and I'm intrigued by your unconventional style of leadership as well as your team."

Welkin smiled. "Thank you Alan, shall we go meet the Squad?"

As the three of them went inside Welkin thought, "Hasn't anyone told him that he looks like he hadn't slept for days and that tick below his eye won't really inspire much confidence."

They stopped in front of the Squad, all of them standing at attention.

Any moment now the Squad sergeant should appear thought Alan, expecting someone along the lines of Sergeant Tierce to appear. But instead a long haired brunette with a red cloth in her hair appeared.

"Squad 7 present and accounted for!" Alicia announced.

Alan was taken aback but recovered, "Umm thank you Sergeant Melchiott." He kicked himself for failing to research longer.

After an awkward silence Welkin suggested lightly, "Perhaps you would like to inspect the Squad?"

Alan answered a little too abruptly, "Yes I would Lt Gunther."

_Very professional Lt Reyes._

As he walked along the front he took in the variety of faces, heights and features. He wondered how he was going to keep track of all the names. Even the captains that led ODA teams in the Green Berets only needed to remember eleven names. There were at least twenty in Squad 7.

As soon as he was done he rejoined Welkin in front for the part he was dreading most of all.

"Good afternoon everyone my name is Lt Alan Reyes. I'm a member of the United States Army Special Forces and I'll be your advisor and liaison of the rest of the Joint Strike Force. I don't need to tell you how to fight but as…" he regurgitated the speech he memorised before lunch.

Largo grunted quietly in disapproval, making eye contact with Rosie next to him. Another officer fresh out of school and one who got his whole team killed no less if what Rosie said was true.

"A sergeant once told me that on the field we're a family, we trust each other, we protect each other and we watch each other's backs. We let everything else go. I'm expecting that's the same with you."

Alan stepped back and handed over to Welkin who gave him a sympathetic pat on the back.

_Who am I kidding? I'm just making a fool out of myself in front of a bunch of battle-hardened weekend warriors._

"We've got new operational orders," he began confidently, something Alan immediately envied.

"We're being sent to the central front in the Barious desert, we'll be stationed at Firebase 23-Golf for a week. When I know more I'll let you know but we need to get ready to move by 1900 this evening."

At this the Squad dispersed, the façade of unity changing into a chatting crowd of individuals wearing the same uniform.

"So…" Alan tried to find something to talk about. "What guidelines does the Militia follow for such operations?"

"In this case we just refer to FM-126," Alicia replied, "Anything the military has to do more than twice is written down in the Field Manual series as Standard Operating Procedure." She grinned goofily, "We're just that lazy."

"Amen for SOP, we do that too," said Alan.

* * *

General Devsky snapped shut his folder upon hearing the news. The click it made reverberated around the room. His aide stood, quivering at attention in front of the desk.

"You can relax..." said Devsky coldly, motioning for him to sit.

"I made it clear that we were supposed to withdraw from the Barious theatre but it seems that Damon has refused my advice," he said, more to himself as he looked up into the ceiling.

He turned to his aide, sitting on the edge of the seat. "The units of concern are Squads 7, 4 and 1 am I correct?"

"Yes sir."

Devsky pondered for a while, running his hand over his scars.

"Notify the Intelligence Support Division, outsource from the usual places if necessary."

Devsky pulled out a blank page and a fountain pen before writing in a calligraphic style.

"I'm authorising payments from these accounts, untraceable as always."

He unlocked the vault in his desk, pulled out a pair of stamps and used them on the forged note.

_Colonel Jessop is acts upon my direct and personal orders in a matter of the utmost importance to the Principality of Gallia. He is answerable only to me. All personnel, military and civil, without distinction of rank will assist him in any way he sees fit. _

Signed and countersigned by Cordelia gi Randgriz and Maurits von Borg respectively. It was also embossed with the Seals of House Randgriz and House Borg.

"Don't forget to return this to me as soon as you're finished," said the General as the aide got up and headed gratefully for the door.

Devsky waited until he was alone before lifting up the phone.

"Yes sir?"

"Prepare the UAV the Americans gave us."


	8. Arrival at Barious

**Apologies for the delay. School started again so updates will be slower than usual. Thanks for reading and as always please review. **

* * *

The ride to their next posting had taken upward of nearly eight hours. The trip was constantly interrupted by checkpoints along the east-west MSR. Armed guards at each point scrutinised the trucks, their passengers and the transfer documents Welkin provided. Each inspection was completed with a call to HQ to confirm their passage. Another call was made to inform the next checkpoint of the Squad convoy's arrival and who and what to expect in it. It was evident how jumpy the guards were and the paranoia surrounding them could almost be felt as thick as the muggy night air.

In the back the NZ commando grumbled about having to do the same thing on the way to the South Korean DMZ. There wasn't much talking going on between the passengers two hours into the trip. The arrival of Syd or the Kiwi as he insisted on being called got everyone excited initially especially in regards to his accent and the unusual dark brown mullet he had.

The rest of the trip was completed in silence. Some people drifted off along the way. Alan sat

"The profile said you were in the town watch for your hometown of Bruhl. What's it like there?" he asked.

"It's a wonderful place. Quiet, no troublemakers until the Imperials barged in rudely."

"Do anything other than being the local gendarmerie?"

"I was in training at a bakery. Everyone says I'm gifted at baking so I wanted to share it around…"

Silence followed as she negotiated a bend in the road.

"Did you want to do anything before your war?" Alicia asked.

"Nope, been training as a professional soldier for nearly five years before now. The world was open to me after the Academy but I didn't know what to do and I wasn't speaking to..." He stopped there and an awkward silence followed.

"Were you married or engaged back in your world?" She noticed his Academy ring which was protruding out from beneath his black fingerless glove on his right hand.

"What?" spluttered Alan, "Oh, it's my class graduation ring, not an engagement one. Do Gallians wear wedding rings on their right hand?" he asked.

Alicia was about to answer but just then the tank in front slowed and stopped.

She reached for the radio. "Why've we stopped Welkin?"

"Isara and I are just switching driving positions since she's getting tired."

"What?" said Alan in surprise, "She's a bit young isn't she?"

"Isara drives our tank, didn't you know?" Alicia turned a pair of tired eyes to him.

Alan looked back at her for a moment and said, "Ok I get the idea, I'll drive the rest of the way."

"Thanks." After changing positions she promptly fell asleep.

Alan rubbed his eyes and keyed the engine. The rest of the way was uneventful, the landscape flattened out around and the road became steadily bumpier. At the last checkpoint the guards told them to turn off the headlights and to follow the dimmed blue marker-lights along the road. For a more few kilometres the convoy continued at a snail-like pace in the darkness until the Edelweiss stopped.

Welkin's voice came over the radio. "We're here, everyone disembark now."

A Gallian army officer stood in front of the convoy holding a blue torch.

"Squad 7 right? Follow me," he said, turning on his heel and beckoning to Welkin and Alan.

Alicia and everyone else started unpacking the trucks while a Gallian soldier guided the Edelweiss into an underground garage.

* * *

Firebase Golf-East consisted of a naturally constructed bunker, built into a rock formation on top of a slope upon miles upon miles of desert to the east. The interior was a cluster of large caves connected by short tunnel passages lit with ragnite lamps built into the sides. The largest cave was actually open at the top; in here was a battery of six 155mm Howitzers pointing to the sky. As the Squad filtered in the Gallian artillery team were wide awake and gave them the evil eye. What a surly bunch everyone thought but it could be put down to the fact that they had been out in the desert the longest. The army platoon the Squad would be replacing was already packed and eager to leave. At the front were heavy machine gun positions with intersecting fields of fire to cover the plains. There was cover for other defenders to use as well. Ladders were used to get to the surface above.

Once everyone was assembled Welkin announced, "Squad we're going to be here for a week so get comfortable. Patrols will begin at first light."

With a collective groan everyone hefted their packs and started to find their own places.

Largo kicked away at the ground under his boot. "Soil's no good here, no good for sleeping on and no good for growing things, especially with the lack of light down here."

"The heck are you on about?" asked Rosie, "We're here for a week so there's no point growing anything and have you forgotten we're in the desert?"

"What a dump," she thought as she found a corner, laid down a groundsheet and unfolded a sleeping bag. Largo did the same, propping himself against a crate.

"What do we do about this American?" thought Largo out loud.

Rosie sighed. "We only take orders from our lieutenant. Reyes isn't our commanding officer, nor is he the 2iC."

"If you read the fine print of this new Joint Command thing, it states that whoever's highest rank in a composite unit like the squad will have to take charge irrespective of nationality. It's also supposed to work the other way so it theoretically seems fair."

Rosie sat up at this. "Say what! So if Welkin's incapacitated then Reyes will take over! He got his entire unit killed!"

"Hardly seems fair huh? We'll only have to tolerate this till he gets rotated out though."

"But still…"

"We'll have to wait and see." Largo put out his cigarette. "He came highly qualified but that first mission of his demands redemption."

* * *

Hannes and Nadine were in the 'Amenities Cave' which held a row of toilet cubicles and shower blocks which were built into the wall.

"Look at that," said Nadine after following the water pipes to the showers and sinks. "We've got running ground water to wash with."

Hermes walked out of one of the cubicles with a magazine in his hand. "Hey guys, the last occupants left some literature behind for our benefit while we-."

"Don't you flush and wash your hands?" asked Nadine folding her arms with a scowl, "And can't you read something more tasteful than just Gallian Girl?"

"It's not just any ordinary issue," said Hannes, glancing at the cover, "That one is featuring Ramona Linton from Squad 4 if I'm not mistaken."

"Exactly," replied Hermes.

Nadine bristled impatiently. "Back on topic boys! What about flushing?"

Hermes replied, "Actually they don't flush because they're chemical toilets".

"Then how do we dispose of the… end product?" asked Hannes slowly.

They looked around until they spotted a trap door in the corner.

Hermes voiced what the others were thinking. "So who's up first to check if the last guests cleaned up before us?"

"Can't expect to ask a lady like me to do that sort of thing," said Nadine.

"Scissors, paper, rock?" suggested Hannes.

On their fourth round Homer Peron appeared at the cave entrance.

"Oh hi guys."

Hermes, Nadine and Hannes stopped, looked at each other and nodded, evil grins appearing on each of their faces.

* * *

Meanwhile Salinas, Montley, Vyse and Aika set off to find the deepest cave in the firebase.

"Who knows what we can find down here? Hidden treasure… ghosts?" whispered Vyse as he raised his lamp just below his face, eerily shadowing his face.

"Stop it!" An upset Aika retorted, trying not to look at his frightful grin. She'd been dragged along by him.

Salinas reached over and tapped the dry cave wall. "If only Musaad Mayfield was here, he'd love any opportunity to check out creepy old tunnels like these."

The lamp illuminated only a few metres around them. They continued another fifty metres in. The voices of the others became faint and increasingly echoed all around them. The sides of the tunnel widened all around until the surrounding darkness threatened to encroach on their pitiably small sphere of light.

A rustling noise could be heard all around, causing the companions to draw closer together.

"Never fear," said Salinas reassuringly, "Stick close, stay frosty and we'll be fine."

Suddenly a noise sounded from behind, making all of them jump and turn.

"We really should go back now," Aika stammered, clutching Vyse's shoulder hard.

"It's nothing, just a rock falling," he replied. His voice trembled a little however and he flicked open the flap on his pistol holster.

Montley motioned for the group to keep going. "Come on the end can't be much further. Once we get there let's have a race back."

They continued on for another ten metres but it took them five minutes to cover that distance. All of them were straining their ears for any sounds of movement and walked very slowly. Their eyes vainly peered into the curtain of dark until a loud rustling could be heard above.

Aika's eyes widened in fright. "What's that?"

"Hell if I know," Vyse ansered. With his hair standing up he raised the lamp and they all looked up.

The blue light reflected on a hundred pinpoint eyes staring down at them from the ceiling of the cave.

* * *

Aika's shriek carried throughout the whole network jolting everyone out of whatever they were doing. Largo, Rosie, Alicia and the squad leapt to their feet, awoken from the little sleep they were trying to catch. Herbert remained lying where he was. Homer accidentally sloshed a little of the contents of the waste barrel he was shifting below the 'Amenities Cave'. Welkin and Alan who were in the 'Tactical Operations Cave' dropped everything and rushed off. Isara was tinkering with the tank. She felt a chill spread across the back of her neck and scalp when she heard the scream. She curled up to the warmth of the Edelweiss, clutched Hans the porcavian pig to her chest and looked out the open garage door, hoping for the sun to rise soon.

* * *

Vyse cursed as he dropped the lamp while trying to fend off the wave of flying critters that flapped their wings in his face. Suddenly the light abandoned them as the lamp rolled away and broke on a rock. Salinas stumbled and felt his way over to where he thought Aika was as she sobbed in terror.

At the same a hand clamped across Montley's mouth. He almost bit his tongue until he heard the strange but reassuring voice.

"Gotcha."

A green light appeared as the Kiwi opened a cyalume tube and let him go.

"You're bloody lucky I had electronic nightvision on and I felt like practising my stalking skills this morning," said the Kiwi as he helped the others to their feet.

More voices could be heard as the rest of the Squad came running into the cave.

"Fire in the hole!" shouted Wendy as she pulled out a grenade but Catherine snatched it out of her hand before she could prime it.

"Dammit! Do you want to collapse this cave on us?" She chastised the overexcited shocktrooper.

Welkin drew his flare pistol and shot it up into the air. The bright orange light sailed upwards into a narrowing vertical passage up to the surface where the sky could be seen. Also visible were dozens of the flying black creatures that the explorers encountered.

"Just what I expected to be living down here." Welkin put his hands on his hips. "Can't have a sprawling cave network without bats."

"What are they?" asked a trembling Aika.

"They're nocturnal mammals with wings, since dawn is in about an hour they'll return to sleep indoors. Harmless to humans unless you try to handle them. In that case you could get rabies."

"But they swarmed all over us! Are we going to get sick now?" Vyse almost looked like he was going to panic.

"All military personnel are given vaccinations upon enlistment so you should be fine," reassured Alicia, though her frown was anything but.

"Wait, so will they spread to the rest of the caves we're occupying now that we've disturbed them?" questioned Salinas, his eyes widening.

"Of course not. They don't like the commotion that we humans cause. That is why they'll stay in the deepest, darkest, quietest nooks and crannies. I'm guessing there are more tunnels in here but they're too small for us to access."

"Hey! We can do just that!" piped up Wendy, "Just give me a second to run back and-"

"Absolutely not!" Alicia spoke up sternly and stopped her. "I recommend assigning these four the responsibility of the first patrol for inconveniencing all of us with their spelunking."

As everyone went back down the tunnel Edy Neilson who was walking next to Homer suddenly complained, "What's that smell!"

Her loud voice echoed violently throughout the tunnel network, causing everyone to cringe.

"Must be bat guano," answered Welkin upon recovering, "We're in their home remember?"

"No it smells artificial, like nail polish remover or something industrial."

She sniffed and her eyes settled on Homer.

"What did you clean yourself with!" she demanded angrily, "You don't wash with acetone or hydrogen peroxide, if it didn't peel your skin off I will!"

Hannes, Nadine and Hermes exchanged guilty looks and silently agreed not to say anything.

* * *

Firebase Golf-East was one of three which were manned by Squad 1 and 4 to their north and south respectively. These three jutted east the furthest beyond Gallian lines in Barious and closest to Imperial occupied territory. Beyond that they knew next to nothing about what the Empire was doing. Barious was regarded from the beginning as a quiet posting. The intrepid four: Aika, Salinas, Vyse and Montley were sent in a jeep that morning, patrolling between designated waypoints until lunchtime when they would be relieved.

The morning was spent with some squad members on guard duty. The rest were allowed to entertain themselves in any way they could. But there was nothing to do except to focus on duties like weapons maintenance and chores to keep the caves liveable. Some however brought something to entertain themselves with. Catherine and Rosie played cards in a corner with some friends while Nadine contented herself with reading and writing.

What a joke of an assignment thought Alan as he climbed up a ladder to reach the top. He squinted as he emerged out into the sun and the strong arid breeze. He wore a shemagh which covered his head, mouth and nose along with goggles to keep sand out of his eyes. He heard a shot and turned his head suddenly to see some of the squad members on a makeshift firing range.

"Hey Lt Reyes!" Noce Wordsworth called out and waved him over.

As he approached Noce asked, "Care to have a try? You're from special forces after all so let's see how you do."

He held up a Gallian-A rifle which Alan took. Hefting it he said truthfully, "Haven't shot a gun in while."

He stepped up to the range and shouldered the weapon, conscious of the attention of the other militia who had stopped to watch. The rifle resembled an antique M14 he'd seen in museum exhibits. He centred the iron sights on the human shaped target 50m away and squeezed the trigger, bracing himself for the recoil. The target pinged once with a hole through where its heart should be.

"Not bad but anyone here can do that," Alan heard Noce quietly remark to Claudia Mann, an engineer. He raised his own rifle and started firing at a target, confidently pulling off shot after shot that hit dead centre each time. Alan took note of how he checked the chamber before ejecting the empty magazine, inserting a fresh one and then chambering a round.

_Oh I'll show them._

Alan raised the rifle and methodically engaged the target again, one shot to the head, one to the chest and once again before the magazine was empty. He found the charging handle and opened the chamber before ejecting the magazine. After reloading he decided to try a double tap against the target.

Raising the gun suddenly he pulled the trigger twice very fast in succession. The first shot hit, as did the next round which followed less than a second later but the last cartridge refused to eject.

Noce walked over and commented, "You pushed it a little hard, the Gallian-A isn't supposed to be fired so quickly. If you're looking for rate then maybe you should try a Mags machine gun or one of the new model rifles."

Alan turned to Claudia, "Can you show me how to clear this?"

"Sure." She took the rifle and partially pulled back the bolt which revealed the empty cartridge wedged awkwardly in the chamber. As she pulled out a screwdriver and began loosening the receiver the cartridge suddenly flew out and hit her in the face.

"Crap!" Alan exclaimed, freezing in shock as Claudia fell back bawling and holding her swollen eye as Noce rushed over.

"Hey! Claudia move your hand and let me see that! You'll be fine!" He looked up and call out, "Go get a medic, it doesn't look serious but tell them to get here ASAP!"

Nearby the Kiwi was holding a hand-to-hand combat class. He too wore a shemagh and had to raise his muffled voice over the strong breeze. He held a pair of bright orange practise pistols.

"Any volunteers?" he asked the Gallians standing in front of the blue training mats he laid on the flat ground.

Theold raised his hand and walked over to stand in front of the Kiwi who handed him one of the pistols.

"Now try and shoot me," he challenged.

Theold whipped up the gun. In a flash the Kiwi covered the distance before he could pull the trigger, knocked the gun to Theold's right with his left hand and kneed him in the chest. As he fell back the Kiwi drew his gun and pointed it at Theold's face and shouted "Bang!"

The squad stood dumbfounded for a moment before bursting into applause as the Kiwi helped the stunned lancer to his feet.

"Don't worry, I intend to make a fool out of everyone here today," he added quietly to Theold, grinning behind his shemagh.

The young squadmember dusted himself off, glaring at the Kiwi before turning his back and returning to the crowd.

"These will be among several things I'll be teaching you while we're here. By the end of our tenure here we should all be able to do that." The Kiwi addressed the spectators.

* * *

Inside the 'ops cave' Welkin received a call from the patrol.

"Lt, it seems like we've looking at some unknown structure three klicks north east of Waypoint Foxtrot. It looks like there's some foot mobiles surrounding it and some vehicles."

"Imperials?"

"Very likely. Oh and Lt Landzaat is here with some of his own people."

"Patch me through to him."

Faldio's voice came over the radio, "Welkin how are you?"

"Hey buddy, it's alright over here. What's happening at your end?"

"Something's going down at the Barious ruins, supposedly Ground Zero for the Darcsen calamity. Intel did predict enemy activity in the desert but not because of something like this."

"Doesn't make sense," replied Welkin as he checked a map for the approximate location of the ruins. "But that area's restricted; apparently Military Intelligence has had it roped off ever since the EW1."

Faldio's reply came after some hesitation. "Well, Devsky hadn't been Intel director for three decades and anyways, who's really going to care if we go out-of-bounds here, especially when that rule's older than either of us."

"Well it didn't state who it was restricted to specifically." Welkin answered slowly.

"Exactly, let's just say that we're enforcing that rule upon the Imperials out there."

"Wait a sec, who said anything about engaging them?"

Faldio signed audibly. "It'll be a recce. If the enemy force is small enough we can take them on, especially with your tank. Besides we've got artillery support from the three firebases and if we're really in trouble we can call in Squad 4 for backup."

"Alright, I'm coming over there with my Squad, put Salinas on."

"Thanks Welkin."

A moment later Salinas responded. "Orders sir?"

"You guys haven't slept in more than 24 hours so have the patrol return here immediately."

* * *

The Russian pilot and co-pilot of a stationary Ka-65 Howler sitting outside the Barious temple watched as Maximilian, Selveria and General Lukin ascended the steps to the building.

"Reminds me of that creepy spaceship in Alien," said the pilot, pulling out a canteen.

"Yeah…" answered co-pilot, leaning back.

A short pause followed until the pilot posed a question that had been bugging him ever since watching it the evening before. "How do you think something like that thing ever flew?"

"Don't ask me… some people ask the same of the Ka-65 Twinblade."

"What's that?" asked the pilot, taking a drink.

"An old Soviet design from Krasna Aerospace in the 80s. It had this dual intermeshing rotor mechanism." The co-pilot found a demonstration video on his PDA and showed it to his companion.

"Why didn't they go with it? It looks so cool."

The co-pilot answered with a secretive smirk. "The brass at the time wanted to install ejector seats inside each new helicopter. You know, as a sort of secret test of character for us pilots if ever we thought of deserting. It was also in case of hijackers or joyriders. The Twinblade with its unique rotors actually gave the occupants a chance to slip out in between. Hence it was rejected."

"That's cruel."

**

* * *

RIP to those New Zealand soldiers who died in the helicopter crash on Anzac day 2010. **


	9. Not Alone

**Been playing Splinter Cell Convictions so sorry bout my lack of punctuality. **

* * *

Alan studied the map Welkin had spread over the table in the 'Ops Cave'. He'd outlined the basic plan to engage the Imperial force around the ruins. The area circled in read was where the ruins were located but it was left blank on the map. The rest of map was covered with contour lines, scribbles and marked unit positions.

"This area is a restricted area however," said Welkin, tapping the marked area, "It's been that way even before the First Europan war."

Alan chewed his lip bitterly regretted not requesting a UAV flyover of Barious, having taken such support for granted during his training.

He didn't look up as he asked, "Do we have any maps before 1915? Since these are restricted it's possible that anything man-made haven't changed or been eroded too badly, that is assuming the site is preserved."

Welkin perked up at this. "I'll go have a look," he called out as he moved to the other side of the cave and searched through a filing cabinet.

While he was doing that, Alan sat down and scanned the latest meteorological reports for the next few weeks. A high pressure region would be approaching in an hour from the east over the desert. A region of low pressure had formed to the northwest where there wasn't any desert. Since high pressure systems rotated clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and wind flows from high pressure to low pressure systems that could mean sandstorms.

At that moment Welkin announced triumphantly,"Got it!"

Alan heard him approach and plonk something solid on the table in front of him. Strange how it didn't sound like a map he thought as he looked up… into the marble sized eyes of a humongous spider.

"What the-!" he shouted, jumping up and placing a hand on his pistol holster.

Welkin giggled madly nearby. "The jar makes it look bigger than it really is."

Breathing hard, Alan calmed himself and sat down slowly, hoping that the glass was thick enough.

"They're solifugae, an arachnid but not true spiders," explained Welkin.

"Hey..." said Alan, staring at the quivering yellowish brown hairy critter, "I remember some Iraq and Afghanistan vets saying how camel spiders like these can run up to twenty five miles an hour and jump six feet into the air. It's rumoured that their venom is an aesthetic so they can take chunks out of you when you're sleeping."

Welkin scoffed. "I can assure you these things are totally harmless, they're nocturnal and they only eat small insects and animals."

Alan shuddered at the large fangs and requested as calmly as possible for the offending creature to be removed.

"Did you find the map?" he asked once Welkin had returned.

"Yes I did," he answered, unfolding an old and faded map out of an equally worn folder. "By the way," he added, "I forgot to tell you that there's an open connection with Lt Dolburn just before you came in, she wanted to speak to you."

'Open connection?" Alan paled and rushed over at his laptop with its webcam pointed straight at the table where he and the spider were seated earlier.

"Reyes speaking," he said stiffly. He knew Avril and anyone on the other end must have witnessed him screaming like a little girl at the spider in real time. Sure enough the display showed her sitting next to Faldio who was struggling to keep a smirk off his face. She was wearing a boonie hat, wraparound sunglasses and had liberally applied sunscreen to her face with a white covering on her nose.

"Hello Lieutenant," they both replied.

"How are you Faldio?" Alan addressed him first, trying to avoid Avril's eyes, even if it was a videoconference.

"Good thank you Alan, yourself-?" He turned away and covered his mouth.

Avril glared at Faldio, huffed and got straight to the point. "Lt Reyes, we can't talk very long since enough time had been wasted-."

He rolled his eyes in response; she'll laugh in his face personally when they meet out later today.

"We've begun a few patrols into the ruins already and we've found a way of approaching the enemy encampment undetected."

Another window appeared featuring a recording from Avril's Cross-Com. Soldiers wearing incongruous medieval-esque armour patrolled amongst the ruins closest to the main building. It looked like a large curved metallic blue building with stairs at the front. The next recording was of the defences consisting of sandbags, trenches, manned gatling cannons and tents surrounding the same structure.

"We've ID'd them as Imperials and that strange building according to Lt Landzaat is some kind of temple related to the Valkyrian history of this country." Avril didn't elaborate further on this last point.

"What's of greatest concern is this," she continued.

The scene changed to a pair of soldiers dressed less conspicuously in digital desert camouflage fatigues and holding disturbingly familiar rifles. The Cross-Com zoomed in to pick out identifying features, most prominently the shoulder patch of the Spetsnaz Guard Brigade.

Alan stared in disbelief before asking with a dry mouth, "We've got to content with… Russians too?"

"We've also seen a few Howler and Locust helos. You'd better get here fast cause this mission just got a whole lot more complicated."

In the 'Briefing Cave' ten minutes later the Squad was assembled with Welkin, Alicia and Alan at the front next to a chalkboard.

"Listen up. We're setting off to meet the Imperial force here." Welkin pointed to the chalkboard which had a rough sketch of the Barious ruins and the surrounding terrain.

"Squad 1 has been able to approach the enemy camp undetected by going through the bottom of a ravine and then through the ruins and we'll do the same." He traced out the path on the board to the RV (rendezvous) south of the enemy camp.

"Squad 1 has positioned themselves to the north, once we're at the RV both of us will strike. The Edelweiss however cannot take the same path so Isara and I will wait at the top of the slope to the southeast as close as possible. Once the operation commences we will come charging down."

Welkin checked his watch "We must reach the RV at 1600 today so we need to move quickly without alerting the enemy. Fortunately this operation will coincide with a sandstorm which will cover our approach and our attack."

Alan took over. "The bad news however…" He pinned up an enlarged photograph of Spetsnaz commandos rappelling out of a Locust helicopter and one of a Howler gunship onto the board. "The Imperials are also getting help from the Russians."

He ignored the confusion on the faces of the Gallians, the despairing look from the Kiwi and continued, "Russia is a superpower nation from our world. It is rather like the East Europan Imperial Alliance in your world but don't ask why they're here." He added quickly before questions could be asked.

"All that matters is that it appears they're on the same side. The Spetsnaz Guard Brigade is the Russian counterpart to the Joint Strike Force. They're equally well trained and tough, if not better than us but their gear isn't advanced as ours. The amount of firepower they possess is impressive by all accounts which is why they take priority." He tapped on several symbols spread around the Imperial defences on the board.

"The helicopters must be neutralised first, if they get airborne we're in serious trouble," said Alan, indicating the crosses. "On the ground they're vulnerable so an anti-tank lance should do." He looked at Largo who seemed unimpressed.

"Next are the Spetsnaz infantry. Whatever your do you must not get into hand-to-hand combat with them. The chance of you getting your arse kicked by one is proportional to your proximity to him or her. But even at a distance you can be sure one of their snipers will get you as well."

He looked over at the two snipers amongst the Squad. Marina Wulfstan gave an unfriendly stare back, while Catherine waved. "Squad snipers Wulfstan and O'Hara will prioritise Russian vehicle crews and infantry."

Alan put up a few more photographs of Russian soldiers, "These are for reference, their style of uniform may vary but you can be sure that they're distinct from those of Gallia, the US and the Empire."

Welkin concluded the briefing. "Any questions? Alright Squad let's move out."

* * *

Later that afternoon the Squad walked carefully out of the ravine and into the ruins with Alicia and Alan taking point. Salinas, Vyse, Aika, Claudia and Montley were back at the firebase while Welkin and Isara waited on the slope southeast. The sandstorm around them wasn't as rough as they'd expected but the Gallians donned goggles anyway and covered up with scarves over their faces. His Cross-Com was able to define the contours of the ruins around him which would have been obscured by the sand as he picked out a safe path for the Squad. A navigational beacon on his HUD guided him to the RV.

"How's it going down there?" Welkin chimed in on Alicia and Alan.

"All clear so far," replied Alicia, covering her mouth so that dust won't get in.

They pressed on until they came up to what looked like the remains of a tower. A circle of broken wall, perforated with holes whose edges were worn smooth by years of wind erosion. The walls were high enough to shelter everyone from the sand storm. The Kiwi set off with a few of the Squad members were outside preparing a few defensive measures.

The Cross-Com video channel opened in the upper right corner of Alan's HUD and he saw Avril's face appear. The sandstorm could be seen in the background behind her as she ducked her head for cover and tried to hold her boonie hat on.

"You'd better haul arse Reyes, we've been waiting here since this storm came up," she said impatiently.

"We're on our way," he sighed, "It'd be easier if you don't call every five minutes, radio silence remember?"

"Don't be stupid, nothing short of the Masse Kernels can break our encryption."

"Haven't you forgotten about Guardrail IX?"

He could picture her eyes rolling behind her sunglasses as she signed out. Sitting down he laid down his SCAR and sat down on a rock, only to have part of it crumble away under his weight.

Hermes turned after hearing him curse and to saw him rubbing is backside.

"You alright there Lieutenant?"

"I'm ok, just a little sore." He got up and picked up his rifle only for his fingers to brush something uncomfortably smooth and curved.

"What is this?" Alan asked horrified as he looked down at the skull he'd accidently unearthed from the rock he sat on.

Hermes came over, crouched and appraised the skull. "Well, there used to be a Darcsen city here and apparently this was where the Darcsen calamity occured."

"Darcsens? Aren't they-?"

Before he could finish Rosie sidled over and said, "Yes, they're the people who wiped out the city that used to stand here. Supposedly they were fooling around with ragnite or some magic."

Alan raised an eyebrow. "Magic? Ragnite?"

"That's right," she continued, "As a result they destroyed every living thing that once stood here, the desert covered everything up. Did untold damage to the environment, who knows how many died and how many starved because fertile land was sterilised by Darcsens?"

Nadine who was sitting nearby spoke up, "There's very little credibility to such a claim and you're just citing what the outdated history textbooks say."

Rosie's face twisted into a scowl as she looked at the Darcsen engineer, "Is this enough credibility for you?" She stooped, picked up the skull and allowed the sand and dirt to drain out of its sockets while pointing it at Nadine.

Nadine stared back and said dangerously, "Put that down. We can put up with your prejudice but you know better than to disrespect the dead, Darcsen or not."

Alan and Hermes looked on, unwilling to be drawn into such a debate.

"Yeah, it'd be better if we left the bones undisturbed, you never know when an archaeologist like Faldio might want to look at those," said Hermes nervously.

"Doesn't really make sense trying to nuke one of your own cities, how could such tech-?" Alan stopped short of revealing too much. He didn't want to advance Rosie's argument by mentioning that such devastation is possible.

Fortunately no one took notice.

"Heh," retorted Rosie, dropping the skull which shattered on impact, "Weak, just like the rest of you dark-hairs." She huffed and stalked off.

Hermes, Alan and Nadine stood in silence before Alan said, "I heard Darcsens are a minority but I didn't expect such things, even from your colleagues.

"It's a problem we've dealt with for nearly two millennia like Hermes said," she replied, "We've suffered worse between then and now."

At that moment the Kiwi ran up. "LT, we've got a problem…" He panted for a bit before continuing, "We've placed some sensors around here and a couple of claymores to the north when we were alerted to multiple contacts all around us… counted about twenty in groups of five before we had to Bravo Oscar (bug out)."

Alan's Cross-Com immediately showed him the sensor map and the reported contacts shown as dots which were moving in from the northwest. He opened up it on his laptop so he could show the rest of the Squad.

"Pass the word for everyone to fall in immediately but quietly."

In less than a minute the squad was gathered in the centre of the tower ruin, watching the sensor display apprehensively.

"It's possible they'll converge on this building so we should all take up defensive positions around here, here and here." He pointed to the entrances. "Hold your fire, don't move or breathe until they've passed or if I give you the go-ahead to engage."

He looked them all in the eye. "Radio silence as before. The sandstorm should give us cover and hopefully they'll bypass us."

They all murmured in acknowledgement before scattering. Alan sensed an overall lack of enthusiasm and potentially resentment from a few as they trudged in their own direction. Except for Alicia and the Kiwi.

"Sandstorm will let us get the drop on those Imps," said Hannes to Jann as they covered a wide open arch. "Hell if he can navigate us through this mess why shouldn't we sneak up on them?"

"He's got his reasons I'm sure, I think he's only looking out for all of us and I'm sure our lieutenant won't want him to get us all killed now," replied Jann, laying down his lance nearby and drawing his pistol.

Largo who peering through a portcullis nearby commented, "Can't believe this clown is actually in charge of getting us to the rally point safely. Can't even make up his mind if we should fight or go. Instead we're playing hide and seek and once they find us the rest of them are going to come crashing right on top of us."

"Maybe we should have backtracked and bypassed them instead," suggested Knute to Catherine on the other side.

"Nah, we've got a schedule to stick to, and besides they might even follow us." She and Marina were lying down and peering with difficulty through their scopes into the swirling storm.

"Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't," said Marina.

The Kiwi was monitored a live feed from one of the claymores via his Cross-Com. He panned the tiny camera on top on the mine to catch a glimpse of one of the enemy fireteams passing by. He spotted the Imperials, a scout taking point with a pair of shocktroopers to either side ready to provide cover. However taking the rear he saw two soldiers in remarkably different gear. One wore a gasmask and hood and was laden with rocket tips on his back along with a launcher. The other had heavy electronic goggles and an AK-74 assault rifle.

He considered his options. He could give an acoustic distraction from the claymore to draw them into range where he could remotely denotate the mine. Or he could let them pass. Meanwhile the red dots on the sensor map closed in slowly.

Herbert and Edy were waiting on either side of an opening. As Herbert leaned out to peek he saw the outlines of people moving quickly with their guns raised. Shit how did they get so close he wondered. Ducking back he raised his fingers to his lips to warn Edy, raised his two fingers to his eyes and pointed in the general direction of the figures and held up all five digits on his hand. She nodded and repeated the signals to Theold who relayed it to Homer and so on.

"They're moving faster than the sensors can update," said Alan to Alicia.

Both of them started when they heard voices. "Get everyone to lie low or find cover," whispered Alicia to Nadine who set off on a ducking run.

Alan looked at Alicia's incongruous blue and red uniform and said, "Better hide, you're going to stick out like a sore thumb."

She nodded and dived into a shallow trench, clutching her rifle, ready to sit up and fire. Alan knelt behind a large stone block, training his rifle on an entrance. The proximity of the voices increased. The HUD acoustic detector was beeping with growing intensity. He leaned towards the wall nearby. Whoever was speaking was virtually on the other side. The Cross-Com picked up the muffled voices and gave a transcript on his HUD.

The two snipers tracked a pair of targets passing a doorway.

"I'll take the one on the left, you take the one on the right," said Catherine, angling her rifle slightly.

"Got it but don't shoot unless they try to enter or unless Lt Reyes tells us," said Marina, adjusting her scope.

Just then both soldiers stopped moving and stood where they were. It was clear they were in conversation. One of them had inclined his head to listen to the other guy who was gesturing using his rifles. Both snipers sighed in frustration and waited.

Alan saw Alicia's arm come out of the trench and beckon him over. Keeping his gun trained on the entrance he scuttled over to her.

"What is it?"

She pointed to his earpiece. "Can you hear what they're saying?"

"Yeah," he said quietly, "They're mainly complaining about this patrol. But I heard a few bad jokes and one guy's description of some amazing drink the Russians introduced him to…" He inclined his head slightly, "Wait, I think their leader just told them to double time it west."

Sure enough the dots on the sensor map started to gravitate to the west. Catherine and Marina let out their breaths as the two soldiers at the doorway turned their backs and moved off. They waited ten minutes after the sensors were clear before setting off again.

"Shit that was close," everyone thought in relief.

* * *

Meanwhile far south Irene Ellet the well known GBS reporter was conducting an interview with the captain in charge of a Marine Force Recon platoon on deployment to Barious with a Gallian regular army platoon. In the distance the sandstorm could be seen raging. Not that the marines really cared. They were bored to death of sitting around on their arses, waiting for something to happen. Earlier their sergeant had attempted a chemical warfare exercise to demonstrate to the reporter how well they could respond to such attacks from the Imperials.

It'd failed miserably and the sergeant made his displeasure known by ordering the platoon to play Gallian Thrashball in their Mission Oriented Protective Posture gear. The Gallians watched and laughed from the sidelines as the marines struggled to hold onto the ball and tackle each other in their uncomfortable attire which included gasmasks, gloves and hoods.

The marines under the captain's command complained how stuck up he was. He'd started talking to Ellet when the game started and by half-time he still hadn't finished.

Such sentiments were forgotten when the match resumed although the tempo was much slower. The new MOPP equipment was far more comfortable than their predecessors, having internal climate control. This still didn't totally insulate from high or low temperatures.

"As you can see these marines can continue to perform physically demanding tasks like Gallian Thrashball without significant reduction in performance," said the captain, grinning as he looked over at his men stumbling around.

"Uhh yes, captain so what would you put this down to?" said Ellet. She wondered how long this guy could keep talking. The effects of the sun on his skin were becoming noticeable as he virtually hadn't moved throughout the whole interview. She was forced to wear a wide brimmed hat to avoid sunburns a quarter of the way through. Meanwhile there was an almighty cheer as a marine scored. His opponents tackled him to the ground in mock anger while his teammates piled on him in joy.

"Discipline ma'am, I've had that drilled into them," replied the captain proudly.

"Number 83! Kruger of Gallia!" shouted the marine who had scored and was being crowd surfed by his buddies before he was dumped on the ground and every piled on him again.

"Hey let's field f**k!" whispered another loudly.

The others responded with enthusiasm and soon the call was being repeated by the marine players. A bold one took the initiative and started stripping off his gear, much to the utmost confusion of the Gallian spectators. The others followed suit and then the Gallians caught on. The men either averted their eyes or were rolling on the ground laughing while the women simply gazed at the pleasantly unexpected display of USMC toned abs and biceps.

The captain's eyes widened in horror as he heard one of the younger marines shout, "FIIIEEELLLDDD FFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU-," before his voice broke and the rest of the word was rendered unrecognisable as he went falsetto.

"You said they were disciplined?" Ellet smiled as she watched them, "What exactly are they doing?"

"Uhh… They said field fun. It's an exercise we run out here… Well time flies and I don't think you'll want to be late for your next interview," said the captain quickly as he led her away.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the Squad had reached the RV at the edge of the ruins. The storm was still billowing about them and north there was just flat sandy ground. Somewhere beyond all that was the Imperial encampment and their Russian allies.

Welkin chimed in just then, "Squad, are we good to go?"

"Nearly," replied Alan and Alicia together.

"You'd better hurry, you have fifteen minutes, Faldio and Avril have already chosen their targets."

Alan got everyone's attention. "Kiwi, go lead the lancers. Helos are primary and tanks secondary. The rest of us will make for the camp."

While Largo, Jann and Theold followed the SAS commando at a crouch to the designated helicopter locations, the Squad proceeded towards the Imperial camp. He held out his left arm with a fist, signalling everyone to follow in a skirmish line. Silence and careful precise movement was necessary here even with extremely bad visibility and the ambient howls of the storm. No one would talk and everyone would have to mirror the pointman's movements. If he froze everyone must do the same and if he crouched so did they.

Alicia who was at the forefront then whispered everyone behind her, "Contacts front," as she went prone.

"Contacts front." The Squad did the same, guns at the ready.

A trio of Imperials passed a mere thirty metres ahead. They waited until they were out of sight before moving on, they'd wasted five minutes because of that.

They caught a glimpse of a long sandbagged wall ahead.

"Gotcha covered," said Alan.

"Bounding," said Alicia before she and half the squad set off on a crouch run towards the wall and slid behind it. Alan and the rest provided overwatch.

"Clear," he heard in his earpiece.

"Bounding," Alan replied and he and the rest followed.

Once they were all over the wall they realised how close they were to the temple. Its outer wall was only a mere twenty metres away.

"No defensive depth huh?" remarked Rosie, peering down the wall.

"Looks like a temporary setup," said Homer, "We've got tents to our left and right and it looks like someone's coming."

Alan checked the chronometer on his HUD. Two minutes. "Alicia, take your half and go right. I'll go left. Watch your fire; Faldio will be leading half of Squad 1 in your direction from the north. Avril and I are doing the same on the left. We'll flush them out in a dual pincer movement."

At that moment they heard a string of explosions to the east. Suddenly there was shouting all around and Imperials could be seen running confused towards them from either side.

"He's early," Nadine commented dryly, pointing her rifle towards the incoming rabble.

"Here we go again," thought Alan. He looked at the militia around him, they were all battle hardened and Welkin had proved himself worthy to lead them. But now it was Alan's turn. The tables had turned and he had the upper hand, the enemy were on the defensive.

With confidence returning he stood up, pointed his rifle at the incoming enemies and raised his voice. "Squad 7 go loud!"

* * *

**If you didn't like the scene I got from Jarhead then let me know. Feedback is really appreciated. **


	10. Desert Storm

**Sorry bout the long wait. Combat scenes unfortunately aren't my forte and school has kept me busy. Please tell me what you think. **

* * *

Avril and Faldio were waiting on the northern side of the camp along with Squad 1 while Squad 7 got into position.

"Don't forget Lieutenant I'll lead my team around the western side and take down their comms tent. You won't be needed here," said Avril as she peeked over a sandbagged wall.

"Don't be silly, it's your first time on the field," replied Faldio who was loading his rifle next to her, "Besides the boys and girls on my team know what they're doing."

"As do I," She replied before wiping a gloved hand over her face and spitting on the ground in disgust.

"Uggh! SPF 50 and sand are disgusting, that's why I never hit the beach."

"That'll be the least of your worries when the fighting starts. You sure you'll be fine?"

"Yeah everything will go fine Lieutenant Landzaat. If you can stop fussing you'll do fine." She waved him off.

Faldio quickly went over to Musaad who was keeping his head low to avoid the wind. "Hey I need a favour from you."

"Sure." he sat up, and leaned towards Faldio to listen over the noise.

"Make sure the good Lieutenant doesn't get herself killed on her first outing."

"Of course sir," replied Musaad after glancing around to see that Avril wasn't within earshot.

Just then a chain of explosions went off to signal the beginning of the battle.

"Don't forget," said Faldio as they both stood up.

* * *

Alicia took point as her fireteam advanced east hugging the temple wall searching for the Imperial ammo dump. A pair of Imperial soldiers came stumbling towards them but they were facing the open desert. Without hesitation the Gallians opened fire, hitting them in the back. Alicia held her breath as she waited for the enemy to open fire but the ambient noise and poor visibility drowned out the commotion. She pointed to a stack of crates.

Edy, Herbert and Marina hung back, covering Alicia, Hannes and Knute as they dashed out to reach the crates. As they crossed the ten metres of open ground they were met with gunfire, none of the shots really came close fortunately. The trio on overwatch returned fire but they were just as blind as the enemy.

"Frag out!" shouted Knute as he primed a greande and tossed it over at the Imperials.

There was a loud thump after which Hannes stuck his head over and put down a suppressing volley in the direction of the enemy. At that moment Herbert, Marina and Edy slid over.

"We'd better keep moving we're only wasting ammo at this rate. Any of you see more cover?" asked Alicia.

"There's a ditch fifteen metres away I think, just to the right and next to the sandbags," Marina answered, of all of them she had the sharpest eyes.

"Alright I'm going over the top, Hannes, Knute follow me. The rest of you cover us," said Alicia, ramming a new magazine into her rifle. She took a breath and shouted, "Now!"

Edy stood up and started shooting while Marina removed her rifle scope and took aim, firing just above the muzzle flashes of the enemy. Alicia clambered over the crates and ran as quickly as she could. She saw the sandbag wall to her right and knew she was on the right track; all that was left to do was to find the trench.

Knute who was on Alicia's heels saw an enemy scout looming out of the sand. He could barely make out the silhouette as the soldier charged forward. The attacker had come too close and he could see the bayonet on the end of his rifle rushing forward. He skidded to a stop while turning, almost losing his balance and fired from the hip. The first three rounds missed but two struck the scout in the leg and thigh and the last caught him in the belly. At that moment a shot grazed his shoulder, already in his unbalanced stance he toppled sideways onto his gun.

"I got you!" Alicia shouted as she dived over. She took a moment to fire at the enemy before dragging Knute by his webbing over to the trench where Hannes was pulling out medkit.

"Where's he hit?" he asked.

"I'm fine it's just a scratch, nothing a few sutures won't fix but I think my rifle hurt me more," Knute replied, rubbing his ribs where the iron sights had painfully poked him. "

"Ok let's get the rest of them over." She keyed her mic. "You're cleared to move!"

The three of them stood up and started shooting, aiming for the muzzle flashes. A few seconds later Marina, Herbert and Edy came charging over and joined them in the trench.

"Are we any closer to their ammo tent?" asked Edy impatiently, "We're going too slowly here. We gotta beat Rosie's team."

"How about we just wait here till the storm subsides?" Herbert suggested.

"Don't be ridiculous, we can't wait for the storm to die down, it won't take very long for the rest of them to corner us down here even if they can't see us," Alicia replied.

* * *

On the western side Alan, Rosie, Catherine, Noce and Hermes were pushed into the storm with Wendy, Homer and Nadine taking the rear.

"Contact left!" shouted Catherine.

Alan caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of an Imperial carrying a heavy machine gun over his shoulder. As he brought his SCAR up the sniper fired first cutting down the unprepared soldier.

"Good thing he wasn't carrying something else or you'd be dead now," she remarked, "I've got your back."

Alan shook his head and thanked her, she was right. He didn't even see him until Rosie had given the warning.

"I see the comms tent!" Hermes called, pointing to the outline of a tall antennae not too far way.

"Careful, Avril and her team is heading in this direction too," warned Alan, "Let's proceed carefully."

He said this more to himself. The Gallians on his fireteam moved themselves confidently, leapfrogging each other from cover to cover as they approached their destination. Strangely enough there weren't any sentries stationed outside. They stopped just outside the flapping entrance. Alan's IWS suite detected heartbeat and acoustic signals of four individuals inside the tent. Their locations were pinpointed on his HUD but the Gallians lacked C-C (Cross-Com) gear.

"Four guys inside, one is two metres right of the entrance, another in the middle and two close together in the far corner on the left," he said to Wendy and Rosie.

"You didn't need to tell us that but we'll deal with it sir," said Rosie almost condescendingly, "I recommend you stay out here and wait for us to clear it."

There wasn't any point arguing with that and Alan was fine with it. "Nadine, Homer, you guys wire that antenna to blow but use the command detonators."

As the engineers and Alan moved off to the antenna, Rosie and Wendy stood on either side of the tent entrance while Noce, Hermes and Catherine were on overwatch.

"Frag and clear," ordered Rosie, holding open the entrance flap.

"Frag out." Wendy tossed in a grenade.

There was a muffled explosion inside and Rosie immediately slid inside closely followed by Wendy. A moment later Noce heard shouts of "Clear!".

"Comms tent clear," he reported to Alan.

"I guess Alan's sixth-sense wasn't needed," remarked Wendy, nudging one of the corpses with her boot. "Nothing high explosives can't solve on its own."

Meanwhile Rosie was securing a dazed survivor from the explosion. "Wendy! Hurry up and smash their gear!"

"With pleasure." She casually pointed the underslung flamethrower on her Mags at the desk stacked with radios and other communications equipment and squeezed the trigger.

Outside Nadine and Homer finished prepping the explosives when gunfire erupted from behind, forcing them to scramble behind the antenna for cover. Alan dropped to a knee and returned fire into nothingness. He recognised the noise of an AK rifle. The C-C registered Russian IFF signals approaching and marked them as red diamonds on his HUD.

He aimed at the closest diamond, the person it denoted was invisible because of the sand but he fired anyway, aiming for the top half.

The diamond went white as the C-C registered a kill. In response the cluster of hostiles separated into two groups, one standing their ground and the other rapidly started moving to the left. A volley came Alan's way, forcing him to go prone.

"We need to get out of here!" he called to Noce. Get the engineers and tell Rosie and Wendy to go to the other side now!"

* * *

"Lieutenant," Welkin recognised the distinctive accent over his earpiece.

"Go ahead Kiwi," he answered.

"Welkin we've taken down the helos and some of the tanks. You're clear to proceed."

With that Welkin sent the Edelweiss charging down the hill. Although he didn't have a good view of the battlefield the newly installed thermal viewing device helped him locate the remaining Imperial tanks. The view was lit up in an eerie gray and white through the scope. Several flaming wreckages could be seen as he neared the temple. The green diamonds surrounding the small white human shaped outlines indicated friendlies while red diamonds indicated hostiles.

"We have you on visual Kiwi," said Isara who was also using a thermal sight to navigate through the storm. They passed the commando and the three lancers who were taking cover behind a wrecked Russian helicopter.

"Alright, that's enough sneaking around, follow the tank," said Largo.

As they broke cover they were met with small arms fire.

"Welkin slow down, we need the Edelweiss as cover!" shouted the Kiwi over the radio.

"Roger that," Welkin replied. "Isara stop for a bit so they can get behind us."

"Ok but we can't stay very long, there's a pair of tanks coming right at us," she replied.

Jann watched as the tank halted before calling, "Let's go! Now!"

They broke into a sprint machine gun bullets hit the ground around them, throwing up small geysers of dust. As soon as they were safe behind the bulk of the tank they leaned up against the hull and tried to catch their breath. The noise of the Edelweiss turret turning and firing gave them all a nasty jolt.

"What the hell man!" asked Theold angrily, punching the side of the tank.

"We've got two heavies closing in from the north and infantry from the west," replied Welkin.

Largo leaned out the side and quickly ducked back as rounds pinged off the armour.

"We've got to move the Edelweiss now, you'll have to follow but we'll try to keep you from facing the enemy," said Welkin.

"Let's go before those tanks can shoot." He turned the turret to face the closest tank and fired. The 88 mm HEAT round exploded on the heavily armoured front but failed to penetrate. The impact was enough to throw the enemy gunner off as a moment later the enemy tank responded with a shot of its own. It barely missed the Edelweiss which was an easy target because it was moving slowly so the lancers and the Kiwi could catch up.

The second heavy tank fired but the round fell short. Welkin ignored it and focused on the closest one. Meanwhile the Kiwi was backpedalling, using the Edelweiss as cover and firing his rifle at the advancing infantry. Largo and the lancers rushed forward, trying to get a bead on the enemy tanks.

"Dammit!" complained Largo as he fired off a rushed, badly aimed shot against the second tank, only to see the round sail over the turret. "Boss, we need you to manoeuvrer the tank so we can get them from behind."

"Fat chance Largo, they're moving too and we're barely holding them off."

"Theold, you got any more shots left?" asked Jann, rummaging in his ammo pouches.

"This is my last one," answered Theold. He took aim and fired but the warhead deflected off the armour of his target.

"One of you guys get over here and use this!" shouted the Kiwi, pointing to the M6 Medium Anti-Armour Weapons System (MAAWS) on his back.

Largo passed his empty lance to Jann and rushed over to the Kiwi before prying the tubular recoilless rifle off his back. The Kiwi stopped moving and started firing on full automatic, suppressing the Imperial soldiers to make it easier for Largo.

"Aim towards the enemy and pull the trigger," he instructed.

"Who do you think I am?" asked Largo sarcastically as he stepped forward and braced himself on one knee.

"It's loaded with a tandem HEAT warhead so it should penetrate but watch out for the back-!"

Largo fired the MAAWS and a second later the turret on the distant tank exploded. The hot gasses vented out the other end of the weapon and engulfed the back of the Kiwi's head.

"Shit!" he screamed, his shemagh was ablaze. Largo dropped the weapon and tackled him to the ground before tearing the burning cloth off his head and tossing it away.

"Sorry about that but hey! You're okay. It didn't cook you too badly!" apologised Largo after patting down the rest of the flames on the unfortunate New Zealander.

"Next time not so close! Here's a flechette round, get it into the M6 and take out those guys," said the Kiwi, passing the round to the lancer.

Largo reached over, grabbed the MAAWS and did as he was instructed. Making sure there wasn't anything behind him, he took aim at the cluster of enemy soldiers. The warhead exploded in front of them and disgorged a swarm of small anti-personnel darts, scything down anyone who wasn't behind cover.

"Nice! I gotta get me one of these!" shouted Largo in glee.

Inside the Edelweiss Welkin took aim with his last Sabot round but he could focus more effectively now that one of the tanks was out of commission.

"Infantry threat has been neutralised, we don't need cover anymore," radioed Jann.

"Good but be careful out there," said Welkin, "Isara go to full speed."

"Finally," she replied gratefully, "I thought we were going to get boxed in for a moment then."

She steered the tank aggressively forward, surprising the enemy tank crew whose shot went wide as the Edelweiss closed in. They came within fifty metres but before the tank could fire Welkin took aim at the flank and fired, scoring a mobility kill.

Just then Alicia radioed in. "Welkin, we need you ASAP, we're at the ammo tent with Faldio and some of Squad 1. The storm has died down but the Imperials have taken cover in the temple entrance across from us and we're pinned down. It's only a matter of time before they hit something explosive over here."

"Affirmative, we're on our way," he answered. "Largo, Kiwi, Jann, Theold we're moving on to the temple."

* * *

The ammunition tent was a hundred metres away from the steps leading up to the temple entrance. Here the remaining Imperials had retreated and hunkered down behind the pillars. Alicia and Faldio's fireteams were had taken cover behind whatever cover they could find but the Imperials had the higher ground.

Faldio peered down the sight of his rifle and picked off a scout who had unwisely exposed himself too long. A bullet barely missed him, reminding him to get his head down too.

"Damn Imperials, using a monument to save their own sorry hides," he cursed.

He called up Welkin. "What's your ETA," he asked.

"Ten minutes, we've run into a minefield, the Largo and the Kiwi are guiding us through but it's slow going," he heard the reply over his earpiece.

"You better haul arse, we're running low on ammo and Alan and Avril are late.

Next to him Ramsey Clement was patching up a very pissed off Nils Daerden who had a bullet pass through his left hand.

"No need to bother the medic with this," he said, trying not to wince as he flexed his fingers.

"You're lucky it was a ricochet, you could have lost it," said Ramsey, "And if we had to find it, it'd be like searching for a needle in a haystack." She nodded at the numerous corpses of Imperials around them.

Meanwhile Alicia was concerned with their dwindling ammunition.

"I found one, make it count!" shouted Knute as he threw a Randgrizer rifle grenade to her.

"Thanks!" She caught it and loaded it into the launcher on the end of her rifle and fired it towards an Imperial crew-served heavy machine gun. The 40mm grenades the Americans used only armed when it has undergone a certain number of high speed revolutions after being fired. This is a safety feature to ensure the grenade cannot harm the shooter. The Randgrizer grenade is launched at a lower velocity but had a time delayed fuse so it could bounce off obstacles. It sailed through the air and hit its target in a brilliant blue explosion.

"Herbert, hurry up!" complained Edy as she tore a used magazine from her submachine gun.

"Yeah, yeah I'm digging deep," said Herbert as he rummaged in his backpack and produced a rifle magazine.

"I can't use that! Didn't you sort out your stuff before coming here?" asked the shocktrooper.

"Umm… no I just crammed all the stuff inside," Herbert replied after mulling over her question.

"Forget the lucky dip, I'm going inside to see what we can get!" she said, looking over at the ammo tent which was separated from the Gallians by twenty five metres of uncovered ground.

"Are you crazy? You're going to get torn up if you run across," said Hannes.

"If we don't-." She was cut off by the unmistakable noise of a bugle. With a roar, a wave of Imperials suddenly came charging down the steps towards the Gallians.

Faldio looked up in shock as the enemy soldiers moved aggressively from cover to cover, closing in and firing their weapons as they ran. He remembered speaking to a few EW1 veterans and felt the same fear they felt when they described the human wave attacks the Imperials sometimes launched.

"Hold them off!" he shouted to the others, "I'm calling in a fire mission!"

"Conserve you ammo too!" Alicia took aim and shot a shocktrooper in the chest armour, the soldier stumbled and continued. This time she drew a bead on his head but before she could pull the trigger the man's head snapped back in a cloud of pink mist.

"Fine shot Marina," she complimented sniper on her right.

"We're outta grenades," reported Knute, with a serious expression, "Shall we affix bayonets sergeant?"

Alicia closed her eyes and nodded. She hated intimacy of hand-to-hand combat.

"Bayonets!" she called.

"We should have gone when we had the chance!" Edy screeched at Hannes. That was when she realised he was gone.

"Hey! What the heck are you doing?"

Hannes had made a dash towards the ammo tent, firing his submachine gun from the hip. After diving through the front flap he started to get up but fell back almost immediately as bullets whizzed through the tent wall. He crawled on his belly over to a box and upended it, spilling its contents on the ground. While he sorted through the ammo pile he didn't notice two shadowy figures on the other side of the canvas. Nor did he notice a knife blade sawing through the canvas. A long burst of gunfire made Hannes jump out of his skin. Rolling over onto his back he drew his pistol only to point it at Melville Young.

"They almost caught you with your pants down now didn't they," said Melville.

"You damn near scared the daylights out of me," said Hannes, "You here for the ammo too?"

"Yep. That's why I'm using this." The scout hefted the ZM MP submachine gun he was holding.

"Thanks for the help, now let's this stuff loaded."

Outside Faldio just got off the line with the firebases. "Time on target forty seconds!" he shouted.

The Imperials were halfway to the Gallian positions. Marina took a mere second to acquire each target and eliminate them. Soldier after soldier bit the dust as her bullets made contact with their heads, throats or hearts. She brought her crosshairs upon her next target, squarely over his head. She pulled the trigger but to her surprise she heard the dreaded 'dead man's click'. Feeling her bandolier for ammo and finding none she joined the rest of the Gallians and drew her pistol.

"Time on target ten seconds! Danger Close!" warned Faldio.

The Gallians ducked and covered their ears.

* * *

Back at Firebase 23-Golf Vyse was rudely awoken by the crash of the howitzers in the 'Artillery Cave'. Groggily brushing a few chips of limestone off his face he stumbled into the next cave where Montley was stirring, underneath a ceiling of stalactites. Salinas had dragged the aichmophobe there in his sleeping bag after he had fallen asleep.

"What's happening?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Sounds like the big guns, let's go check it out," answered Vyse.

At that moment Montley looked up and screamed in terror at the sight of the pointed limestone hanging above him.

* * *

Inside the tent Hannes and Melville received the radio warning.

"Under the table now!" shouted Hannes.

They slid under the closest one and braced themselves.

"Why are we taking cover in an ammo dump?"

There was a muffled roar outside, followed by another, followed by another and another. After the third explosion the tent canvas was violently flung away. It would have been funny to see both of them hiding under a table outside in clear view. What wasn't so funny was that both of them found themselves facing a dozen Imperial soldiers running and firing wildly at them.

Melville grabbed the table legs and pushed it over for cover. There was a deafening crash and then the firing stopped. Both of them looked up to see the remaining Imperials turning tail and fleeing back up the steps. The ground in front of the Gallians was scattered with the corpses of the Imperials who were caught in the open by the artillery strike.

* * *

Thankfully the sandstorm had died down, making it considerably easier for Alan and his team to see and engage the pursuing Russians. Unfortunately it also worked for the Russians.

"Bounding!" called Alan as he turned, ran and rolled over a sandbagged wall as his fireteam covered him.

Rosie and Wendy fired short controlled bursts to keep the Russians suppressed while Nadine and Homer distributed the ammo.

"Ok Hermes on three get behind that jeep!" ordered Alan. To the rest of the Gallians he said, "Same plan as before but only shoot at what you can hit."

The pale faced scout was nursing a shattered forearm and the only thing keeping him from going into shock and falling unconscious was thanks to a hefty dose of ragnaid.

"Three…Two….One… Now!"

Hermes stumbled out and ran as quickly as he could. Alan aimed and fired a burst at a Russian rifleman, the bullets tore into the collar where his body armour was weakest. At that moment he realised he'd shot off his last three rounds in his magazine. Immediately he switched to the Gallian-A rifle he borrowed from Hermes. Remembering Noce's comments about its capabilities he took aim through the iron sights and fired twice, making sure to give a second before pulling the trigger again. A spestnaz commando doubled over from the two bullets to his chest armour. Alan zeroed in on his head and fired, finishing him off.

"Neat and terminal," complimented Rosie, "Not half bad but you gotta be faster than that."

She fired a long burst, forcing the Russians back to cover.

"What the hell are they using?" asked Noce in frustration as a bullet whizzed pass his head. "Those guns shoot faster than Mags or ZM MPs and they have the range of a rifle."

"I guess you've never heard of an assault rifle?" said Alan.

Just then he heard a cry and turned to see Hermes hitting the ground. Before he could say anything Nadine broke cover and ran over to the prone scout.

"What are you doing? Nadine? Cover them!" shouted Alan as he pulled out a smoke grenade and lobbed it at the Russians.

Noce pulled out a frag and tossed it into the billowing smoke. Alan noticed how reluctantly Rosie was shooting as soon as he gave the order.

"Damn I had one of them in my sights," said Catherine as soon as the smoke had enveloped the enemy. "Alan please warn us before you toss a smoker next time."

"Yeah I won't forget," he apologised and looked over at Hermes.

Nadine had dragged him over behind the jeep and was attempting to bring him out of unconsciousness.

"That was quite stupid but brave, those Russians don't mess around and they'll kill you in an eye blink given the chance," said Alan, running over and checking Hermes' pulse.

"If only…" muttered Rosie.

"How is he," Alan asked.

"I'm fine, I'm just tired, that's all," answered Hermes, opening his eyes and groaning. Nadine and Alan exchanged worried glances; the scout wasn't doing a good job at keeping the pain out of his face.

"Alright we'll carry you the rest of the way," said Nadine, "Isn't that right Alan?"

"Uhh… yeah," he answered as he shouldered his rifle and helped the engineer hoist Hermes up between them.

"Team! Cover us!" Alan called to Noce, Wendy, Catherine and Rosie.

"Wait they're disengaging!" shouted Wendy.

She was right, the firing had stopped and the voices of the Russians were fading away.

"Ok let's move now and regroup with the rest at the rally point and where's Avril?" asked Alan.

* * *

High in the sky a venerable US made RQ-1 Predator drone monitored the battle around the temple. Straddling its fuselage was a pair of AGM-211 missiles. The 'Mini-Mavericks' as they were commonly known were replacements for the original line of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles designated for UAVs. Despite being superseded in every possible way by its younger cousins, the Predator was still a formidable and stealthy weapon. A secure datalink streamed instantaneous data from the drone's sensors miles away to Ft Amtriain.

The headquarters of Gallian Military Intelligence could be reached at the basement level of the main Ft Amtriain building. Hidden within layers of hardened concrete and patrolled around the clock with security teams from the Intelligence Support Division. G-ISD personnel were the muscle of the organisation, oriented towards wetwork and black operations on the domestic and international scene. They were answerable only to Director General Zoltan Devsky, an entirely separate chain of command. The majority of the GMI consisted of researchers, analysts, scientists, investigators and many others who worked just as long as their paramilitary counterparts, sifting through data from anonymous tip-offs, informants and Field Operations officers popularly known as agents or spies.

In a featureless white walled room a sweating UAV operator piloted the Predator with a joystick over the battlefield. He sat at a desk with a laptop, the live feed came from the drone's camera and a radar display kept track of the combatants on the ground. The operator was still in training with the of the few drawn from hundreds of potential candidates to pilot Gallia's first UAV fleet. Behind him General Devsky watched the unfolding battle intently.

"Seems we're w-winning sir," stuttered the nervous operator, hoping for an early dismissal.

To his surprise the general scowled, only for a moment before he started pacing and asked, "Are there any more forces in the area?"

The operator checked the display and replied, "Yes sir, looks like a few tanks and…" He trailed off, staring in amazement at the radar.

Annoyed, Devsky marched over and stared at the screen.

_As expected, the Batomys makes its debut._

At that moment Devsky's newly acquired PDA beeped in his pocket, alerting him to another staff meeting.

"Do not intervene and let me know when something interesting occurs." He pointed to the phone on right side desk which was programmed to the Director General's office voice machine.

"Uhh yes sir."

Devksy shook his head in disgust. The air conditioning was efficient and quiet so there was only one reason why the operator had visible sweat stains on his uniform.

"Have a drink," the general lifted up a bottle of water and placed it on the man's left.

Before the man could stammer his thanks Devsky had slammed the door shut. Unsurprisingly the operator felt his scalp prickle as he heard the click of a lock before turning his attention back to the screen.


	11. Desert Storm Part 2

When Alan and his team finally turned up at the rally point at the Temple entrance. To his utter surprise he found Squad 7 and 1 waiting there. The camp was a smoking wreck, dead Imperials lay strewn across the steps and draped over their own fortifications, many still holding their weapons. Hannes and Melville were handing out ammo at a table. Isara and Knute were brushing out sand from the treads and the radiator of the Edelweiss.

Two of the medics were tending to injured including a few of the captives. Nils winced as Mina carefully peeled away the field dressing and inspected the injuries on his hand. "I won't lose it will I?" he asked anxiously, after making sure no one else was listening.

"Luckily for you it missed the radial artery in your palm but since one of your metacarpals is broken we have to be careful," she answered while uncapping some ragnaid.

Alan, who was still dragging a barely conscious Hermes with Nadine went to them first.

"Hey Fina where's your sister?" Alan asked as they neared.

"She's actually Mina," whispered Nadine.

The medic rolled her eyes and said, "Fina's over on the other side of the Edelweiss." She pointed to the tank.

"How did it go?" asked Welkin who was sitting on top of the tank.

"Alright until we reached our first objective with the radio antenna, then we got chased out by the Russians who luckily disappeared just as thing got serious for us," Alan replied, "And where's Lieutenant Dolburn? I've got a bone to pick with her."

"Alicia and Faldio put out a call to rendezvous here. Avril turned up at the same time I did and forced the remaining Imperials to surrender."

"She was supposed to meet my team at the rally point before we move to secure the front. Why wasn't I informed of this?" Alan stopped and allowed Nadine to support Hermes the rest of the way.

Welkin thought for a while before answering, "We tried to get hold of you but you weren't responding."

Alan chewed his lip in irritation and asked, "Ok give me a sitrep."

"We've got some wounded and some prisoners. The Temple interior is unsecured, we don't know who's in there and the prisoners are refusing to talk."

Squad 1 and 7 began to wind down after the brief euphoria of the victory. Knute and Theold were arguing over a newspaper article. Susie Evans from Squad 1 was talking to Catherine while Marina sat apart from them, cleaning her rifle. Herbert was taking a nap and Wendy was playing with a handful of C-4 she'd earlier badgered Alan into giving her. Fortunately he'd left out the det cord and detonator so there wouldn't be any accidents. This didn't stop her from testing out its lack of reactivity, namely shooting and burning it with her flamethrower much to the dismay of the other Gallians. Edy was trying out some recently learnt hand-to-hand moves on Homer, strangely enough the groans he gave off didn't sound like pain whenever she twisted and trapped his arm or when he was swept off his feet or thrown down. Noce, the guy with an evident crush on Alicia was consulting with Nadine on a few sonnets he'd tried scribbling.

Meanwhile Faldio and Avril were talking a short distance away from both squads.

"You had the situation under control by the time I got here. I guess it wasn't necessary for me to slog it all the way back around," Avril said in an irritated tone.

"We needed all the help we can get, I mean we were running out of ammo and the enemy was in an elevated position behind good cover," he answered evenly.

"We should have thought out this plan of ours better. Clearly you didn't anticipate the actions of the Imperials?"

"True I didn't think the Imperials would actually desecrate something of such historical and cultural value," answered Faldio regretfully.

"Rule 101 of successful occupation: break your enemy by stripping them of their cultural identity," said Avril darkly. "That approach has worked in our history."

Faldio couldn't help but feel a chill at this. Whether it was the possibility that the Imperials would try this or the fact that it has happened before.

Avril watched as he looking out at the Gallians as they relaxed in the aftermath. "Are you thinking about what would happen to your country if it comes to that?"

"More than just that." He cast a worried glance at Isara and Nadine.

She left him to mull over that before deliberately bumping into Alan.

"The hell was that for?" he asked angrily, looking down at his front which was soaked with spilt tea.

"For turning up late and forcing me to fight all the way to the RV with only my team," she replied.

"It would have helped if you'd showed at the objective as planned!"

"We were waiting for you there and then the call came through. You were the one who was late."

"Well I'm sorry my radio wasn't working, how was I supposed to know?"

"No plan survives contact with the enemy. Don't you forget that," said Avril before splashing the remainder of the tea in the mug on Alan and handing it back to him.

Alan sighed in disgust and trudged over to the Kiwi who was hunched over a kettle and stove.

"Bugger off mate, I'm not brewing another cuppa," he said before Alan could open his mouth.

_He's in a foul mood. Perhaps he's mourning the loss of his mullet._

Avril went over to Ramsey who was getting the hang of how to operate a laptop. "Ok let's bring in the MULE."

"This is so cool." Using a joystick and watching the C-C feed from the laptop, Ramsey guided the Multifunctional Utilities/Logistics Equipment vehicle from its hiding place near Squad 1's first RV.

A MULE is a six-wheeled, unmanned vehicle that serves the support function of carrying large quantities of ammunition and weaponry for frontline operations. Essentially a non-combat robotic ammo dispenser.

Moving quickly, the MULE travered the flat ground effortlessly. Its six wheels coupled with an efficient suspension system made it highly manoeuvrable. It took only a moment to mount a low pile of debris. Less than a minute later it came to a stop in front of Avril and Ramsey.

"So far so good. Now can you save me the trouble of opening it?"

"No problem." Ramsey selected the appropriate command on the screen and the MULE's back door opened.

"Good work, you're learning faster than I expected with the Cross-Com," Avril complimented.

She reached into the storage compartment of the robot and traded in her SCAR for an MR-C .

"Wow, what kind of gun is that?" asked Ramsey, admiring the sleek rifle in Avril's hand.

"Modular Rifle-Caseless. Uses 6.8mm ammunition in magazines of 50. There's no need for cartridge casings since there are none." She pointed to the picatinny rails lining the barrel. "This allows me to mount various attachments from rifle sights and tactical lights to grenade launchers and shotguns."

"Such a versatile weapon. Especially the caseless bit. It would totally remove the problem of gun jams," said Ramsey, her eyes wide with delight. "You've gotta show R&D how to make something like this."

Alan was attempting to lug the weapons crate off the back of the Edelweiss but struggled to shift the weight.

"I need a crane for this sort of donkey work," he muttered to himself. "Should've brought a MULE instead."

"Need help with that?" Isara poked her head out of the tank hatch.

"If it isn't too much trouble."

She clambered over and said, "I'll push it towards you. On three… two… one…."

Grabbing the handles on the side again Alan pulled hard while Isara pushed the crate. With a screech of that hurt their ears the heavy container slid off the tank onto Alan's foot.

"Remind me what we're doing out here again?" Largo asked Rosie for the umpteenth time.

"We're here to secure a rock," said Rosie. "Something that has no strategic value whatsoever… except maybe as a reminder of the Darcsen's foolishness, I don't know."

"So how do we proceed from this point?" asked Alicia to Welkin as they approached Faldio.

"Clear out that building perhaps... It looks familiar though. Let's see what he has to say."

"Welkin, Alicia how are you doing?" greeted Faldio, "Interested in going having a look around in there?"

"I don't know, looks kind of scary-" said Alicia.

"Hey the dreadnautilus isn't really that scary. The shell may look intimidating but it's actually quite harmless."

"What are you on about?" asked Faldio.

"I mean the building looks like a deadnautilus, a marine cephalopod that lives in a shell."

"I don't know, it looks a little like the Sydney Opera House," said Avril as joined the trio. "So are we going in?"

"Of course, we just need someone responsible to hold things down out here," said Faldio.

They all turned to see Alan issuing orders and setting up a defensive perimeter.

"Set up over there," Alan ordered Herbert and Rosie to shift one of the captured Imperial machine guns.

"I want intersecting fields over this area. We can't cover all sides of the Temple so make sure this quadrant is tight."

"They'll be fine," said Welkin. "Let's go."

They began ascending the stairs to the entrance. None of the Gallians had dared go this far yet. The bodies of the Imperials remained where they'd fallen. Everyone held their breath as they carefully tread amongst the dead. Already the flies were beginning to gather and Welkin noticed the few vultures that could be seen circling high in the sky.

"Once we're done inside we'd better bury them. They deserve that much," said Welkin.

One of the birds however flew in a perfect circle, never slowing down or speeding up, too perfect to be natural. The Predator maintained its vigil high above, recording the faces of the individuals entering the Temple.

Faldio attempted to break the ice with Avril. "I didn't think you'd be so eager to join us, especially on a history tour like this."

"It's the nature of the job," she replied, taking off her Oakely sunglasses as they entered the shade of the entrance. "I'm from psyops remember? Some of the stuff we do requires a thorough understanding of foreign cultures."

"Ok… but are you here in more than just a professional capacity?" asked Faldio.

"Hell I just want to see what's inside and get out of the sun," said Avril, quickening her pace and beckoning the others to follow.

As they approached the entrance a light breeze emanated from the interior. Beyond the threshold they could see a dimly lit interior and shadows lining the sides.

Alicia shivered and said, "So who wants to go inside the creepy old temple first?"

Tentatively Faldio and Welkin strode through the high arching doorway.

"Come on, the boys can't have all the fun to themselves," said Avril as she followed them in.

* * *

General Lukin was taking a cigarette break in the antechamber. Prince Maximilian hated the scent of the synthetic tobacco the Russian smoked. The chemicals he inhaled were probably a hundred times worse than the cardboard he burned as a recruit helicopter pilot many years ago.

He dropped the butt on the ground and crushed it under his boot before lighting another one. Lukin wasn't a chain smoker but the history of Europa as well as the legend of the Valkyur was just too incredible for him. But then things back in his universe were just as complicated. The strange circular door behind him was open and he could hear the Prince talking to General Bles, the serious albino woman who never seemed to leave his side. It was then that he noticed four elongated shadows slowly reaching out along the polished floor.

* * *

Avril, Faldio, Alicia and Welkin stopped in the centre of the antechamber and stared around in amazement. Almost every inch of wall on both sides were inscribed with runes while the walls and ceiling were adorned with unusual motifs of spirals and curves.

"I'd only ever seen photos of the interior in textbooks," said Faldio, as he walked slowly over to the nearest wall. "No new discoveries about the Valkyrian civilisation have been found since the turn of the century."

"Can you translate the writing?" asked Avril, pulling off her boonie hat and shaking her hair loose. "Geez it's so much cooler in here."

"Well, everything here so far can be found in all standard history textbooks," replied Faldio with a slight hint of disappointment. "I don't think we'll be making any new discoveries here today."

Avril put on her C-C monocle and set it to record everything she saw.

"If there's anything you missed in here we can go over the visual recording later."

"How's that supposed to work?" asked Alicia, wandering over to the far side of the chamber.

"It's like I'm filming of everything I see, except that it has full colour and sound," answered Avril as she made a 360 turn, scanning all the runes and uploading the images to her C-C network profile.

* * *

Alan sat atop the Edelweiss with his laptop connected back to the briefing room of the 3rd Regiment at Ft Amtriain. On the other end Varrot and Torres were seated at the table and watching the widescreen TV where Alan was visible with the Temple visible in the background. Alan had no idea of the journey undertaken by the signal he was transmitting.

Without satellite and Uplinks all JSF signals were being relayed through a networked squadron of UAVs which were spread all over Gallian 'airspace', which until the arrival of the JSF, was a totally unheard of concept. This decentralised system was safe. If one or more UAVs were disconnected from the network, either being lost or returned for maintenance, communications would remain uncompromised unless they came under attack from a high-altitude EMP or an 'information warfare strike' which was more commonly known as a hacker or virus attack. It also reduced the number of UAVs available for other uses and keeping the network airworthy was maintenance heavy.

The alternative was to route all signals through an E-3G Sentry or E-8C JSTARS planes. The risk with that was that only a few were available and if one was to be lost or crippled it could blackout communications and lose radar coverage in an entire region. Since they were primarily used to track airborne and ground targets respectively the task of simultaneously rerouting signals could be more than what a single plane's computing power could manage.

Transmitting via the CICs of the USS Olympia or the USS Bannerman was a last resort. The ships also had the same drawbacks as the E-3 and 8s of centralisation and overburdening. In addition they would be out of range in the event that they put out to sea.

Meanwhile ground based relay facilities were being hastily assembled all over non-occupied Gallia and existing communications facilities were being upgraded in a joint American-Gallian effort. It would be a while however before they would become operational.

"Basically they're inside clearing that building of hostiles and we're securing the area." Alan wrapped up the report to his joint superiors.

Varrot studied the maps and documents in front of her, some of them faxed over by Alan from the battlefield.

"The Military Intelligence Section had the area restricted for decades now. These actions constitute a serious breach of national security according to the G-MIS," said Varrot seriously.

Alan almost flinched at the sight of her glasses flashing as she said this.

_Damn those other guys for leaving me to face the music myself. Especially Avril._

"The thing is that Imperials were already on the scene along with some Russians. If by trespassing we're risking national security then I think national security has already gone out the window if the enemy got here before us."

"You're point is valid but they won't be so kindly received when the G-MIS director hears about this," said Varrot.

"So what will happen to us if he finds out?"

"Since Lieutenants Landzatt and Gunther initiated the action they will face court-martials under a special National Security Tribunal set up under Director General Devsky," she answered distastefully. "It will be a closed trial of a very opaque nature. Marshal Van Rheling has been pushing for their abolishment even before the war started."

Torres snorted, trying to not to chuckle laugh but Varrot ignored him. Alan understood the in-joke but didn't smile.

"Squad 1 and 7 will be broken up as well," Varrot continued.

_Ah shit, they're going to screw all of us over for doing the right thing. Not that Pentagon hasn't done it before, but it sucks anyway._

"Ok, can General Devsky not know what happened?" asked Alan, uncertainly.

"You understand that this conversation can never completely disappear?" said Varrot, leaning forward in her seat. "By discussing this we're risking our own necks too. General Devsky has taken a recent interest in the Barious theatre and is demanding daily reports from all of us. This briefing will also go back to him with a few edits here and there of course…"

Alan turned his eyes away from the webcam and thought for a moment, he knew that neither of them wanted this to happen.

"We'll discuss this later when we get back, if we're dead then it won't really matter."

"One more thing Lieutenant," said Torres as he checked his laptop. "One of our JSTARS has just detected a large enemy force bearing down on your location, ETA thirty minutes. It looks like they're moving in to surround you so you'd best Bravo Oscar out of there."

"What! Sir why are we hearing about this now?" asked a very dismayed Alan.

"No time for that now. We've already got a care package on its way; it'll land in the position marked on your HUD, ETA fifteen minutes. Airborne extraction isn't possible at the moment."

A rumbling noise made Alan turn his head. For a moment he thought it was an earthquake. But then he saw the monstrous hulls of four T-100 Ogre tanks in the distance.

"Alright… I think we need more than just the care package," he said slowly, his eyes still affixed to upon the tanks in the distance.

"Show me what the hell it is that's bothering you!" demanded Torres, leaning forward. He and Varrot could feel the bass in the floor from the growls over on Alan's end.

"Here." Alan turned the webcam to point it at the Ogres.

"Is there something your can do to help them?" Varrot asked her American counterpart after a few seconds silence.

"I'll see what air support I can rustle up for this."

"Well thanks. It'd better come soon," said Alan, "Reyes out."

He stood up and whistled loudly, calling for the Gallians to fall in and then checked his HUD for the new RV.

"You guys see those tanks coming at us?" He pointed to the Ogres which had split into pairs and were advancing to surround them.

"We've got to hold out until Welkin, Alicia, Faldio and Avril return. We've also been promised air support. Don't ask what that is," he said as expressions of consternation appeared on the faces of the Gallians. "We've also got transportation on its way by air as well, just half a click west. For now just set up a defensive perimeter and prepare to hold out."

Largo held up his hand and called out, "What the hell are you on about Lieutenant? As soon as the boss returns we're going back the way we came. I'm not catching whatever taxi it is you've booked for us."

"Be my flamin guest, the Imperials are going to drive-by your sorry arses when they turn up in half an hour. We hold this position and then we drive out of here as soon as Welkin gets back in the tank. We stand a better chance on wheels than-."

A tank shell exploded behind Alan, knocking him down while the Gallians ran to their positions.

* * *

"We've got company," said Lukin as he returned to Maximilian and Selvaria.

The cigarette in his mouth fell out when he saw the blue glow that was emanating from her while she placed her had against a wall of text. The moment she moved away the light dimmed and cut out.

"This is what I've been telling you about."

Lukin started when he heard Maximilian speak up behind him.

"Just what the hell is going on?" he blurted out, forgetting who it was he was addressing.

"Valkyria," said Maximilian simply, "I wasn't lying about the legend, General."

"What? Are you saying she's superwoman or something like that?" asked Lukin, relapsing into the accent he'd acquired from a British upbringing.

"Oh you'll see," said Maximilian smiling evilly. "Did you say that we have intruders?"

"Y-Yes we do your highness," replied the General, hastily attempting to compose himself. "I've already requested reinforcements which were only a few minutes away." Although he didn't voice it he thought it was a bad idea for the Prince to order that they shouldn't be disturbed no matter what happened outside. It's a mixture of adoration, fear and single minded patriotism that motivate those men he thought.

"Very well, the Batomys will remain at a safe distance. Let us see what your soldiers and tanks can do," said the Prince before turning to Selvaria who was standing at attention nearby. "General Bles, you will escort us to the Batomys and then join the battle against the Gallians."

Selvaria spoke up, "If what General Lukin says is true about his vaunted 30th Airborne Battalion then this battle should be over every soon."

* * *

Alicia crouched down to inspect the smoldering cigarette on the ground and carefully speared it on the end of her bayonet. She'd prefer not to repeat the experience from the animal track in Kloden.

"Hey Welkin, Faldio, Avril! Look what I've found!"

As they hurried over she took a whiff of the fumes and nearly dropped her bayonet. The stench it gave off had a strong pungent aroma, like a combination of lipstick burned in ammonia.

"What did you find?" asked Welkin who was first over.

"This." She held the item out at arms length, covering her nose.

"Wow, that sure smells disgusting, not like any animal musk I've sampled," he said after coughing on the fumes.

Avril came over and took the cigarette and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "It's a Russian brand, the new and improved lung rot with fake tobacco that's reserved for commissioned ranks." She turned to Faldio as he trotted up. "Did you see any Russian officers amongst the dead outside?"

"Not really, the few Russians we found were mainly enlisted and the highest ranked was a captain," he replied, puzzled. "Why?"

"I think we've got a Russian here, someone high ranking."

"Okay… How did you come up with something like that from just a cigarette butt?" asked Faldio in a disbelieving tone.

"Gut feeling. This one is very recent so he or she couldn't have gone far, not without being seen outside and shot."

As she explained Alicia whose attention was wavering leaned against the design on the wall. To her surprise she suddenly felt the wall give way behind her and she fell painfully backwards through the door she'd inadvertently opened.

"You alright Alicia?" A concerned Welkin rushed over and helped her to her feet.

"I'm ok," she replied but turned wide eyed to see through the threshold of the circular door. "What did I just do?"

Everyone else joined her in staring into the darkness beyond the opening, except Avril who aimed her MR-C, ready for a horde of undead to come lumbering out.

"Do you realise Alicia that you've probably made the most significant discovery of the century," said Faldio as soon as he'd gotten over the shock. "Let's go and see what's inside."

As he started forward Avril suddenly raised a hand and blocked his progress.

"What is it Avril?"

"Nothing. I think it should be first in, best dressed. You've only brought your sidearm and we don't know who or what's in there."

Faldio was about to argue before Welkin said, "She's got a point, its best if she takes the lead here, even though this is your area of expertise."

"Alright, but I'll be right next to you on this one," said Fladio, drawing his pistol. "Well, shall we?" He nodded to the door.

"With pleasure." Avril slipped through the door first, followed by Faldio. She turned left immediately and dropped to a crouch, covering her side while Faldio did the same on the right. For a few seconds they waited tensely for something to happen or someone to investigate.

She looked at Faldio and gave a nod of approval.

"Clear," Faldio reported and Alicia and Welkin came in next, pistols drawn as they proceeded down the corridor which steadily slanted downwards.

When they were about halfway before they stopped and waited before Welkin held up his arm and beckoned for Faldio and Avril to move up.

"Let's go." They ran as silently as possible until they caught up and slowed to a careful walking pace while Welkin and Alicia covered them from behind.

When they reached the end they found themselves in a circular subterranean room with a spiral staircase that wound around a spire covered in glyphs and runes down into darkness. Shadows concealed the sides of the room and on the other side there was another tunnel that appeared to slant upwards.

"This is simply beyond amazing… the architecture is unusual. No one has ever seen anything like this in other ruins and the writing is of a very early dialect." Avril rolled her eyes while Faldio went into Daniel Jackson mode.

Alicia too sighed as Welkin pointed out the resemblance of the spiral staircase and the spire to a primitive vertebral column and a spinal cord.

"This place is creeping me out," said Avril as she walked over to the edge of the stairs.

"Too true," agreed Alicia wholeheartedly.

Avril pulled out a few cyalume tubes and dropped one down the shaft, allowing the C-C to record all the writings on that side of the spire as it fell down its length. She repeated on the other sides for full coverage. Welkin watched his friend as he was concentrating on reading a particular section of text until he heard the unmistakable noise of footsteps coming up the stairs. Welkin, Alicia and Avril immediately pointed their guns at the approaching shadows.

Welkin called out. "Come out with your hands high!"

Obligingly Maximilian, Selvaria and Lukin stepped out into the light.

"Identify yourselves!" Avril didn't need to speak loudly as her voice echoed all the way down the chamber.

Maximilian gave her a once over contemptuously and motioned for the generals to follow. "Ask your Gallian friends, they should know."

"That's Prince Maximilian, the commander of the Imperial forces invading our country," said Alicia slowly, her pistol wavering slightly from her surprise.

"And that's Brigadier General Selvaria Bles the Imperial commander of CentCom," said Faldio.

"What are you doing here?" asked Welkin.

The Prince answered after coldly appraising the Gallains, "I might ask the same of you. It's awfully unusual for the Gallian Militia to launch such a brazen assault on my forces."

He began walking towards them followed by Selvaria and Lukin. The Gallians tensed but this time it was Avril's turn to be surprised.

"Are you General Lukin? What the hell are you doing here?" she asked after her C-C had finished its facial analysis of the general.

"I see that we Russians aren't the only ones to have made the Transition to Europa." He smiled, raising his hands in mock surrender as he followed the Prince. Only Avril could detect the curious blended Russo-British accent he possessed.

"Thrown your lot in with the Imperials huh?"

"That's far enough!" Alicia shouted. "I'm taking you all in custody under-"

At that moment Selvaria lit up, throwing the room into sudden brightness and dazzling everyone. In her hand was a peculiar alabaster weapon, resembling a lance or something similar which was engulfed in blue flames. Her eyes shone dangerously red as she assumed a combat-ready pose.

"I don't intend to shed blood in here unlike you who undoubtedly defaced the front of this temple with the blood of my men," Maximilian spoke in a dangerous tone, "If you wish to continue this tiresome affair we'll settle it outside." He brushed past them with Selvaria in tow. "If I'm not mistaken I believe it has already begun."

The trio walked away the dumbstruck Gallians and Avril in their wake Alicia regained her self and asked, "Welkin what should-!"

"So this must be Lieutenant Welkin Gunther, the son of General Belgen Gunther," said the Prince, turning his head to look at Welkin. "My compliments to your success at Vasel and Kloden. General Jaegar was impressed with your skill and leadership. I hope you won't prove him wrong too easily. Don't try to follow us."

"Let's get out of here now, the others must be in danger!" shouted Welkin grabbing Alicia and making a break for the door.

Avril was about to follow until she noticed Faldio hadn't moved. He was engrossed in a particular section of text on the spire.

"Lieutenant we're leaving! Let's go!" She ran over and attempted to drag him away.

"No wait… there's something here that's absolutely unhe-"

"Listen Faldio! I've got it all on record."

"You do?" he turned to her briefly but resumed with his reading.

"Yes I do!" You can look at them to your hearts content only if we get out the desert in one piece!"

"Alright I'm going."

* * *

Outside Alan sighed in relief as he saw Welkin and Alicia running out of the entrance. It was only brief as another tank shell sailed over his head.

"Darn it!" cursed Largo after he fired his lance at one of the Ogres, only to see the round explode in mid-air a metre away from its turret. "Why won't this thing die?"

"They have an Arena active defence system which will shoot down incoming shells and rockets," answered Alan. "Get down now!" he shouted as the Ogre's turret swivelled over to point at them and the AA cannons on top opened fire.

"What kind of a tank is this?" asked Rosie, as she lobbed a grenade, hoping to catch it in the treads. The armour wasn't dented one bit when it exploded. "Why aren't there any exhaust vents to hit?"

"They don't need them," said Homer, "Can you smell the exhaust, that's not ragnite they're burning."

Both Squads had been desperately trying to keep the Russian tanks from harming the Edelweiss which was useless without Welkin to operate its turret. Most of their weapons were ineffective against the Ogres. Their capability was beyond anything the Gallians could have imagined. Its low profile made the turret harder to hit while its weapons easily kept everyone at bay.

"Welks!" shouted Isara, jumping up and down where she'd taken cover near their tank. "Over here, we can't beat these tanks without your help!"

"No shit!" agreed the Kiwi. He'd managed to destroy one of the Ogres with a Zeus MPAR T2 missile launcher. The Gallians had watched in amazement as the missile arced straight into the air and guided itself to hit the top of the leading tank. The launcher itself however was disabled shortly afterwards, leaving the defenders with only lancers and a few MAAWSs which were woefully insufficient against Russia's most advanced tanks.

"You guys took long enough," said Alan, as Welkin ran past him.

"We've got a problem. Prince Maximilian's got a Valkyria. We've got to get out of here."

Alan almost tripped over from his puzzlement as he ran alongside Welkin. "Prince Max? What? Just what did you find out in there?"

Just then his earpiece beeped and his HUD alerted him to the fact the care package has arrived.

"Welkin, keep those Ogres off us. I've got transportation for everyone but we need to get to a new RV half a click west."

"Ogres?" Welkin tripped as soon as he saw the tanks. "That's hardly a fitting name I reckon. Their camouflage makes them seem more suited to be-"

"Now's hardly the time! I'll lead the Squad to the RV; I think Avril's going to do the same."

"Ok I'll run interference, just get everyone away safely!" replied Welkin as he slid into the Edelweiss after Isara.

Avril and Faldio came charging out of the temple at that moment. Her blood turned cold as soon as she spotted the Mi-55 Locusts coming over the horizon from the north.

"What the-?" Knute stopped and stared as one of the helicopters stopped and started hovering on the spot.

Inside the Locust, Captain Konstantin Miloslavskiy stood up and snapped his fingers, the Wolves with him stood and lined up, ready to deploy. The Spetsnaz Wolves were elite commandos, the best of the SGB, not like the conscript Spetsnaz RU-20 bodyguard units deployed to protect General Lukin during his archaeology trip that day.

"Alright boys and girls! Let's do this!"

Feeling pumped he walked out the door and slid down the rope even before its end touched the ground.

"Don't stop shooting!" Hannes called to Knute. He shook himself and took aim at the first man who landed on the ground.

Konstantin planned his targets as he was fast roping. He saw his first just standing there, gaping stupidly at him. As soon as he hit the ground Konstantin saw him raise his gun. He brought up his AK-103 rifle and rolled to the left behind a rock.

Knute thumbed the trigger on his rifle but the Russian had rolled out of sight. His eyes flicked back to the helicopter and he saw more soldiers descending on the ropes. The momentary distraction was all Konstantin needed to burst out of cover and nail the guy with a precise single shot from his rifle, right through the shoulder.

As soon as he was knocked on is backside Knute knew he'd been shot. All of a sudden he couldn't move his left arm. He could hear Hannes' yelp of surprise as a sudden volley almost took his head off. And then he saw the shocktrooper crawl over to him.

"I'll get you out of here, don't you worry," said Hannes to his wounded squadmate. He spotted Marina sitting cross-legged on top of a tower firing her rifle. "Need cover Marina!"

"Got that."

She brought the scope to her eyes and took aim at the men rappelling out of the Locust. The second last man had almost reached the bottom so the rope was taut between him and the last man above. Aiming right for the centre of the rope Marina pulled the trigger. The bullet didn't snap the thick cord in half but the jolt was enough to cause the last roper to lose his grip. He fell and landed on his back, the back of his helmet was suddenly forced into his neck, breaking the vertebrae.

"Sevens!" shouted Alan, waving his finger in a circle. "We are leaving!"

"Roger that! Breaking contact!"

Edy and Homer took cover and laid down suppressing fire to allow Wendy and Jann to retreat. Despite the fact that they were outgunned and outclassed, Alan was impressed with the orderly withdrawal's progress.

Rosie had dropped to one knee and was firing at a group of advancing Wolves when she saw Hannes dragging Knute over.

"Let me help with that." She ran over and supported the injured engineer between them. "Marina what are you doing?" she asked the sniper furiously.

Marina was off in her own world, trying to shoot down a helicopter with her rifle.

"Shit!" snarled the pilot as the glass right in front of him cratered with another bullet impact. "Get the gunners to suppress that damned sniper!"

His co-pilot looked over his shoulder and replied, "They're dead. The sniper got them both."

"Dammit! Let's get out of here before the rotors or fuel tanks get hit."

"Fire!" Welkin managed to hit one of the Ogres in the back with a HE round. He saw it explode cleanly but to his horror the tank was totally unaffected.

"Now I know why they're called Ogres, they just won't die." He sighed in resignation.

"Welks I they're using some kind of armour that explodes at the same time the shell hits. Try aiming for the same spot you hit before," Isara suggested.

"Get the tank moving, don't let them hit us. That cannon is huge!" exclaimed Welkin as the unscathed Ogre turned its turret around.

The Bumblebee flamethrower on top disgorged a tongue of fire, engulfing the Edelweiss.

"Hit it again, the Edelweiss isn't insulated against extreme heat like this."

Welkin peered through his thermal scope which was filled with an opaque white. "I can't see anything."

"Shoot it! We can't hold out for long like this."

He obliged and fired blindly. The HE shell flew towards the Ogre's turret. Immediately the Arena defence activated but the extreme heat of the Bumblebee had melted the small Doppler radar on the turret which guided its protective sub-munitions. As a result the HE shell smashed into the flamethrower and detonated. After that the flamethrower fuel ignited and the Ogre's turret exploded like a roman candle.

"Yes! Kill confirmed," said Isara happily.

"Two more left," Welkin reported to Alan.

"Good, we're getting the hell out of here," Alan replied over the radio.

Squad 1 and 7 had made it out of the massive crater that contained the Temple and were bearing west. As far as they could see there was flat desert all around them.

"Oh that's just great, where the hell are we going to go now?" asked Rosie angrily.

At that moment the Edelweiss roared up and out of the crater behind them with its turret turned backwards.

"The Russians are coming and there's a lot of them." They heard Welkin's voice over the speakers. "Sorry I couldn't keep them down here but I'll try to distract them from pursuing you too closely. Now run!"

Just then the two remaining Ogres came lumbering over behind the Edelweiss.

"You heard him! Run!" shouted Alicia.

Everyone broke into a jog, heading west.

Behind they could hear the noise of the Edelweiss duelling with the two Ogres. The rumbling and explosions spurred them on.

"Don't stop!" exhorted Largo, who was tempted to discard his lance. The heat and exhaustion was getting to the Gallians.

Susie fainted from the heat only to be scooped up by the Kiwi. Hermes who was the most seriously injured was being carried by stretcher between the medics while the injured were being carried on the shoulders of the stronger Squad members. Rosina Seldon of Squad 1 was bearing her squadmates Oscar Bielert and Hector Calvey over her shoulders without losing too much pace.

"Nearly there." Alan panted as he spotted something out in the distance.

Just then Melville who was in front yelped and fell flat on his face as a sniper bullet caught him in the back.

Faldio immediately ran to his side and asked, "Mel, talk to me!"

"Don't worry, it only hit something in my pack," he replied, standing up and shaking his backpack.

"Sniper six o'clock!" shouted Faldio.

Catherine turned and took aim at the distant Spetsnaz in pursuit.

Konstantin lay on his stomach with his VSS Vintorez rifle ready.

_Hardly a challenge._

He zeroed in on one of the Americans at the front of the Gallians. The target wasn't wearing a helmet and he was running in a straight line. Just then a bullet smashed the ground right in front of him, throwing up sand in his eyes.

"Darn it!" He stood up and ran for cover behind one of the Ogres.

The runners had reached the care package. Alan immediately stripped off the parachutes to reveal at least twenty quad bikes and desert patrol vehicles.

"Here's our ride," he called to the Gallians who were trying to catch their breath.

"Wait how do we drive these things?" Theold demanded to know.

"Right pedal to speed up, handlebars to turn and left pedal to brake. Change gears here," instructed Avril, pointing out the features.

Everyone looked up as they heard a distant roar in the distance. Three A-10 Thunderbolts approached from the west.

"Sierra 3-7 this is Anvil Lead do you copy?" Alan heard over the radio.

"Copy that Anvil Lead, this is Sierra 3-7 actual," he replied. He turned around and used the C-C acquired the Ogre tanks and the Spetsnaz in the distance. "Targets are marked on your HUD Anvil Lead."

"Roger that Sierra 3-7, we're coming in hot."

"Woot!" The Kiwi shouted in elation as the three Warthogs as the A-10s were commonly called, zoomed overhead.

"What they hell are they going to do?" asked Alicia.

"Watch and see," replied Alan.

Welkin cried out as another tank shell buffered the front of the Edelweiss.

"We can't keep this up Welkin." Isara coughed as smoke rose from the engines. "What's that noise?"

The lead Warthog had one of the Ogres in his gun reticule. Anvil 2 on his left had acquired the other Ogre while Anvil 3 would target the enemy infantry with cluster bombs.

All enemy targets were highlighted with red diamonds on the pilots' HUDs, provided via the Cross-Com from Alan. As soon as his target was in range Anvil Lead pulled the trigger on his joystick.

There was an ear-splitting burp as the GAU-8 Avenger gatling cannons unleashed a torrent of 30mm HE shells at 42 000 rounds per minute. The tank killing rounds ripped through the armour of the Ogres, detonating both of them in mere seconds.

"By the Valk…" whispered Welkin as he regarded the smouldering remains of the tanks. "Like a falcon hunting down mice."

"Displace!" screamed Konstantin as one of the Warthogs passed over them, dropping a cluster bomb.

It came apart in mid-air, disgorging dozens of round sub-munitions, each about the size of an orange. They exploded above the Russians, sending swarms of white hot anti-personnel fragments in all directions.

The Gallians stared in shocked silence as the Russian infantry disappeared behind a wall of explosions. Even Wendy seemed subdued.

"Hell yeah!" shouted the Kiwi, punching the air in triumph, "That's true firepower for you!"

Largo turned away from the destruction in front only to see the Batomys approaching from the south. He then saw it fire its cannon in the distance.

"Look out!" A few seconds later there was a bang as the ground erupted behind them.

"Anvil Lead, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" said Alan, standing up after the impact.

"Roger, Sierra 3-7 we're coming around for another pass."

**

* * *

A-10 Warthogs versus the Batomys and high speed chase on quad bikes and DPVs. That's what you readers can look forward to next. Reviews welcome. **


	12. The Fast and the Furious

Out of the corner of his eye, Anvil Lead could see the holographic fuel gauge displayed on his helmet HUD reminding him that he and the other planes had five minutes left before they had to turn back to the airstrip at Site Echo 11. He grunted slightly as he brought the A-10 around in a sharp turn to face the massive tank to the south.

"Let's start the music." The pilot activated the ECM pods under the wings; ready to jam any radar guided SAMS and thumbed the switch for his flares. As soon as he began his attack run the plane would dispense a pair every few seconds to distract any heat seeking missiles as well.

Anvil 2 and 3 flew in a line behind their flight leader, ready to continue the run with their cannons and AGM-65 Maverick missiles. It took a few seconds for them to get within range of the Batomys.

At that moment the leader's HUD lit up red as a SAM warning sounded in his ear.

"SAM launch! Evading!" The Enhanced Reality System activated and through his HUD, Anvil Lead saw a series of red triangular gateways appear in front of him to guide him away from the incoming missile. He pulled the joystick hard to the right and flew through the gateways, praying that the ERS was up to scratch.

That was the cue for Anvil 2 to push forward on afterburners, leaving the last wingman behind. The helmet HUD could track where his eyes were focused, down to the nearest millimetre. The moment the SAM left the rails the ERS highlighted the missile and its point of origin in red. Ignoring the missile that veered off to chase his leader, Anvil 2 brought the reticule upon the SAM launcher on the Batomys and squeezed the trigger.

"Guns, Guns, Guns."

From his perspective the top of the gargantuan tank disappeared in a cloud of dust before the unmistakable orange bloom of explosions could be seen.

Every inch of the top deck of the Batomys was shredded, there wasn't anything left of anyone who was unlucky to be caught out in the hail of high explosive shells. The SA-22 Russian SAM system which was mounted by the Russians was a smouldering husk. Just then ragnite generators which were hidden while Anvil 2 was firing arose from their protective pods.

The pilot smiled as his HUD registered the multiple hotspots appearing on top of the tank.

"Rifle, Rifle," he announced as he launched his AGM-65 Mavericks before breaking off.

"You just had to hog all the fun," complained Anvil 3.

As the four missiles closed with the tank, aiming for the exposed generators a Kashtan CIWS folded out from its protected vault on the deck. Its improved computer controlled firing system was capable of engaging smaller missiles such as the Maverick unlike earlier models. The twin 30mm GSH-30k gatling cannons on the Kashtan let loose a stream of sensor-fused shells, detonating one of the missiles. It rapidly swivelled about to face the next but the Mavericks had come too close. The generators retracted belatedly into their pods but this didn't fool the missile heat guidance mechanisms. Each exploded above the generator doors; a shape charge was forced effortlessly through the armoured covers and exploded inside.

* * *

Inside the Batomys, Prince Maximilian was helped to his feet by one of his aides after the explosions which shook the tank down to its treads. He touched his hand to his mouth and felt the torn lip that marred his visage. Red lights blinked inside the bridge or the CIC as the Russians insisted on calling it.

Several of the staff lay strewn about, killed by rivets that popped out of the walls or hot steam that gushed from pipes in the ceiling. The survivors either rushed out the doors or were at their posts, shouting into headsets and managing the consoles.

"Status?" asked the Prince rubbing his eyes.

"Catastrophic damage, only one generator remaining," reported the man who helped him up.

Maximilian looked over at the targeting console for the main cannon. The cannon was centred onto the last A-10. By a stroke of luck the radar array was working so the computer could predict its flight and accordingly make adjustments to the main cannon.

The operator at the console noticed Maximilian and gave a salute. "Permission to fire sir!"

"Permission granted," he replied, raising his voice over the din of the klaxons.

* * *

The Batomys cannon fired a monstrously large 340mm ragnite shell which was modified with a sensor fused shell courtesy of the Russians. The radar on Anvil 3 tracked it as soon as it left the barrel.

"Shit." The pilot turned his plane to avoid the incoming projectile.

It only took three seconds. The shell exploded above the A-10 as it dove downwards. The shockwave buffeted the plane like a hurricane. Fortunately there wasn't any shrapnel but aeronautics and avionics were delicate and the Americans couldn't risk losing any planes, especially in these circumstances.

"Anvil 3 here, I'm reporting moderate damage across the board, got a minor fuel leak and my weapons are locked down so I'm taking this bird home."

"Understood Anvil 3, good luck getting back," answered Anvil Lead.

"Anvil 3 this is Citadel, you're cleared to RTB, coordinates relayed to your HUD," said the comms officer aboard the E-3G AWACS plane supporting the mission.

The A-10, with smoke trailing from one engine turned and sped off west.

* * *

"We need to evacuate as soon as possible. Major, ensure that it is orderly," the Prince said to the highest ranked officer aboard.

"Underst-." Another explosion made everyone jolt but this time it was much closer.

"Your Grace, are you alright?" asked a very concerned Selvaria, stepping through the remains of a reinforced door.

"I'll live, what are you doing in here?" Maximilian answered tersely.

"Your life was in threat, everyone was dying all over the place-"

"That doesn't matter now. I'm fine as you can see. This room is the safest place at the moment."

"I'll escort you away from here," offered Selvaria.

"No, I need you to deal with them," said Maximilian pointing to one of the screens where another A-10 was swooping in.

"By your command your Grace," she raised her hand to her heart in salute and hurriedly departed.

* * *

Anvil Lead chose a steeper vector of attack. Swooping in, he launched all of his Mavericks.

Selvaria ran up the steps onto the deck of the Batomys and glanced up at the noise of the A-10 above. Her Valkyrian reflexes kicked in as she pointed her lance up at the incoming missiles.

The Kashtun's cannons opened fire, knocking down one of the missiles while Selvaria's lance fired a brief burst of pure ragnite derived plasma. Her aim was true; the extreme heat and electromagnetic field of the pulse immediately fried the electronics inside two of the missiles and cooked off their high explosive payloads.

"What the hell!" exclaimed Anvil Lead. "Was that some kind of directed energy weapon?"

His HUD registered a sudden heat spike right on top of the Batomys. He stared for a second at the plume of blue flame that just came out of nowhere.

Selvaria leapt high into the air just as the last missile slammed into the Kashtun. At the zenith of her leap she came within fifty metres of the plane as it veered away. With her enhanced eyesight she could clearly see the pilot but not his face which was concealed behind a flight mask.

Anvil Lead stared slack jawed behind his mask at the woman wreathed in flame as she suddenly jumped into the air. His HUD zoomed in and he caught a clear glimpse of her face, angry red eyes and pale skin and hair. Recovering from the shock he realised the ERS was alerting him to an imminent collision with the tank. He yanked the joystick and pulled away safely.

"Anvil 2 did you see that?" he asked his remaining wingman who had watched the live feed through his HUD.

"Affirmative Lead, I'll deal with her."

Selvaria hit the ground fifty metres in front of the Batomys. She turned around for a moment and looked up at the devastation wrought those three flying machines. Smoke poured from every vent while small explosions occasionally tore new holes in the armour.

"Please be safe," she whispered. She had that same feeling of doubt back when she was paralysed by the Gallian ragnide gas attack. Shooting down the planes even with the Valkyrian lance would be extremely difficult. The best she could do was to distract the planes before they could destroy the Batomys. Hefting her shield and lance she assumed a defensive stance as the Warthog approached with a menacing growl.

Anvil 2 could clearly see the bright blue flame standing in front of the tank. He checked the ammo status for his guns which was eight seconds of automatic fire. He intended to use those eight seconds to their full extent. If the target was still standing which he doubted, he had two cluster bombs ready.

Selvaria didn't flinch as the ground in front of her erupted into a line of geysers which vaporised everything it touched, sand and rock. She knew that the plane couldn't possibly have a large supply of ammunition for its cannon.

Anvil 2 walked the near solid line of shells over to the target. The task was delicate, deviation by a degree could cause a miss by metres, especially at long range and when he was flying at three hundred knots.

The barrage finally reached Selvaria and she braced herself. Suddenly the ground she was standing on whipped up into a hurricane as she held the shield against the volley. The noise would have long incapacitated any human but Selvaria was much more than just that. A moment of panic made her gasp as the ground beneath her feet began to give way. Gritting her teeth she took a step forward, keeping her shield up against the tide as she planted herself on firmer ground.

Time's up. The pilot could barely believe the HUD, or his eyes for that matter as the woman in blue stepped out of the cloud unscathed. Coming in close he pulled up at the last moment, hurling one of his cluster bombs at the Valkyria.

Selvaria saw the bomb leave the racks in and its brief flight until it came within twenty metres of her. In slow motion at the point she saw it disintegrate into a swarm of round bomblets. She guessed each would explode in a deadly cloud of shrapnel just like the shells used in Gregor's train cannon. Her timing had to be perfect.

Jumping forward she swung her shield with one arm as though she were brushing away the swarm. A sudden shockwave emanated from the shield at the same time the bomblets detonated. The shockwave deflected the curtain of fragments away in the opposite direction. This occurred in one and a half seconds, not nearly enough time for the Warthog to get clear.

The HUD turned red and in his ear an urgent warning repeated itself as the avionics warned Anvil 2 of the significant damage inflicted upon the plane.

"This is Anvil 2, I've suffered severe damage. I think I caught some of those fragments," he said to Anvil Lead and Citadel.

"Anvil Lead here. We're pulling out; we're just about bingo fuel here. You reckon you can land your hog back at Echo 11?" replied Anvil Lead.

"That's an affirmative Anvil Lead. I'm not leaving this bird for nothin."

"This is Citadel, new waypoint coordinates updated on your HUD," reported the AWACS plane.

As he said this Anvil 2 struggled to keep the plane balanced as he turned west and headed for the waypoint. The engine sputtered while the A-10 slowed and dipped dangerously fast before the pilot corrected its flight with much difficulty.

Anvil Lead looked down at the friendly foot mobiles highlighted in green as he passed over them. He could see many of them waving.

"Sierra 3-7, this is Anvil Lead. We're bingo fuel and suffered some damage. You're on your own so good luck out there."

On the ground Alan answered, "Acknowledged Anvil Lead, thanks heaps for the show. Hope you guys get back safely."

Selvaria rushed forward, now was her chance. Charging up her lance she took aim at the loitering plane.

Anvil Lead came up beside his wingman and said, "I'll check the extent of the damage for you Anvil 2."

"Go ahead Lead."

The flight leader lowered his altitude and manoeuvred his plane below the damaged A-10 so he could take a good look at the damage inflicted by the cluster bomb blast.

"Looks like you got torn up pretty goo-."

A blue beam of light suddenly engulfed Anvil 2 which exploded a second later.

"Anvil 2 is down!" exclaimed Citadel.

"No shit! No chute! Shit!" cried the flight leader. An image of his wingman's family flashed into his mind, almost as vividly as the ERS holograms on his HUD.

"Anvil Lead! Get out of there now!" Citadel's voice shook him back to reality.

"Understood Citadel," he replied weakly, activating his afterburners and fled the battlespace with all due haste, jinxing his Warthog from side to side to avoid whatever it was that downed his wingman.

"Anvil Lead returning to base."

* * *

Satisfied, Selvaria rushed back to the crippled Batomys. As she came within forty metres the tank's self-destruct activated, an equally monstrous explosion engulfed the vehicle. If it hadn't been for her Valkyrian powers, she would have had her insides turned to jelly by the pressure wave.

Jumping to her feet she cried out, "No!" before leaping up and on top of the wreckage.

She located a large hole which was directly over the CIC where she'd last seen Maximilian. Peering in Selvaria could see nothing save for several mangled bodies. No sign of the white that Maximilian usually wore.

A loud thudding behind her made her look over her shoulder at a Locust helicopter approaching. Recognising it as an allied Russian vehicle she didn't raise her weapons. As it closed in she saw its side door open and there was the Prince, sitting and watching her. As the immense relief overcame her as her blue flames subsided.

The helicopter came in low and Selvaria clambered aboard. A Russian handed her a headset which she slipped on.

"Afternoon General Bles, we picked up his highness while you were busy."

She looked over her shoulder to see Lukin sitting in the helicopter co-pilot seat.

"Thank you," she said before turning to Maximilian. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to destroy all the enemy aircraft. Two of them will live to tell the tale."

"You served your purpose and I'm satisfied. However the events of the day were disastrous, the exchange ratio is unacceptable," he nodded at the destruction wreaked by the Gallians on the Imperial camp surrounding the Temple ruins as the helicopter circled overhead.

Helicopters were busy ferrying in fresh Imperial troops and vehicles. The wounded were speedily evacuated while the dead were being neatly organised on top of a very large tarpaulin sheet. A few soldiers held their noses as they stood guard over the corpses to prevent the vultures from finishing their meals.

"We're withdrawing from this sector. I'm closing down CentCom effective immediately," said Maximilian after he contemplated the scene below.

"What!" exclaimed Selvaria. As the commanding officer of CentCom she was responsible for the invasion of Gallia from the east. Now Maximilian was stripping her of that duty.

"Forgive me your Grace," she added in an extremely mortified tone, bowing her head. "I forgot myself."

Maximilian ignored her outburst and said, "Fear not Selvaria. We got what we came for here, we must proceed to Randgriz with all due haste. Currently General Gregor and NorthCom is closest, it is from there that we'll focus our campaign."

"What of Jaeger's command?" asked Lukin. The southern front had suffered a serious setback after the loss of their forward operating base at Kloden.

"We'll keep SouthCom running to distract the Gallians."

Lukin nodded in approval while Selvaria remembered the Gallians who were out in the desert watching her duel with the A-10s earlier.

"Your Grace, those Gallians who got away-."

'I know Selvaria. That's a trivial matter that doesn't concern us now. Take us to Ghirlandaio General Lukin."

"Yes your highness," answered the Russian. He wondered why he slipped back into his British accent whenever he used such honorifics.

_Must have something to do with royalty._

* * *

Alan sat on one of the quad bikes as he saw the beam vaporise the A-10 in midair. Here he was, witnessing the first American serviceman to die on Europan soil. There was no place to return his remains. If there were any for that matter he thought as he watched the flaming debris descend at a surreally slow speed.

Everyone else had witnessed the battle from a safe distance through the binoculars. There was an excited chatter about as the Gallians discussed the appearance of the Valkyria and its power. Welkin and Isara witnessed all of this from the top of their tank.

"Unbelievable… simply unbelievable what they've achieved with aeronautics." Isara marvelled.

"Problem is that they still need pilots to fly them. Every time they fly their lives are at risk," said Welkin. "Us humans weren't made to fly. Not that there's anything wrong with trying." He added quickly when he saw the look on Isara's face.

"What we saw were weapons of war. Should that be really be the first thing we think about when we come up with new innovations?" she said pensively.

"Not to mention that we witnessed the death of a man or woman in completely unnatural circumstances," said Welkin.

He looked down at Avril who was tending to the MULE she'd summoned earlier. "Tell Faldio we need to get moving. Firebase 23-Golf where we're staying is closest."

"Ok Welkin." She whistled loudly getting Faldio's attention before calling out his name.

"Since when were we on a first name basis?" he asked.

"Ever since I fired my first shot in anger today," she replied, "I really can't be bothered sticking to ranks at this point."

"So what's the plan?"

"We drive to Squad 7's firebase on these," she said.

Alan started when he heard an unusual voice over his earpiece.

"Sierra 3-7 this is Ringmaster, do you copy?"

"This is Sierra 3-7 we copy," he replied, standing up.

"We're tracking multiple ground contacts closing on your position, you have maybe fifteen minutes."

"Acknowledged Ringmaster, 3-7 out."

Ringmaster was an E-8C JSTARS, designed to track ground contacts with its radar. It was slightly reassuring to have an eye in the sky.

"Fifteen minutes, we need to get out of here," he announced.

"Give us a moment here!" said Fina as she and Gina lifted Susie on a stretcher and placed her into the back of one of the DPVs.

"How is she?" asked Alicia, walking over.

"Classic dehydration and heat stress," answered Mina who was hanging up a drip inside the vehicle.

"Will she be alright?" Alicia persisted.

"Well, she's healthy beforehand so her chances are good. But once the sun goes down it'll get very cold. Then Susie and everyone who's hurt will be in real trouble," answered Gina.

"Get all the wounded inside those vehicles," ordered Welkin, pointing to the DPVs. "The rest of you pair up, those quad bikes can carry two each."

Largo found himself one and mounted it. "Well I'm ready," he called to Rosie.

"Just a sec," she replied.

Another weight settled behind him.

"Oh hello Jann."

"Why Largo, looks like it'll be two of us for this roadtrip."

"I can't see any road for miles and I frankly haven't got any idea how the Boss is going to get us out of here."

"Well we ought to go on a road trip when this war is over," said Jann. He turned around so they were sitting back to back.

"From this position." Jann raised the Lancaar to his shoulder and buckled his webbing to the seat of the vehicle. "I can shoot at anything that comes from behind.

"Be careful you don't hit me in the head with that thing," warned Largo, ducking as the other lancer turned around.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle, just don't crash." Jann patted him on the shoulder.

* * *

The door opened and shut in less than a second as Devsky slid into the room where the UAV operator was waiting.

"You asked me to call you if anything happened," the man pointed to the display where the Batomys was smoking and the Temple was a hive of activity.

"Show me the footage," ordered the general.

The operator opened the file slowly and scrolled through the unnecessary bits.

"Ok at this point the American air force intervenes."

The UAV showed the Russian tanks burning on the ground while the Spetsnaz were curbstomped by the cluster bomb.

_They must have seen the Temple too. At least the situation's salvageable._

"Anything else?"

An angled photograph of Selvaria appeared as she stood aboard the Batomys.

"There's more sir."

The video of the Valkyria battling the American planes was shown next. As the short battle unfolded, Devsky inwardly fumed at the foul change of circumstances. The death of the American pilot was the worst but not because of the loss of a highly trained person or a valuable aircraft. They would be most interested to review the battle. The last thing he needed was them to discover the legacy of the Valkyria.

"Excuse me a moment," said Devsky before leaving the room.

Pulling out his PDA he sent a prepared text. After waiting a moment returned.

"Have you archived this data yet?" he asked, plonking his suitcase onto the desk.

"No sir."

"Good, before you leave please read and sign this." Devsky held out a document and a pen.

"I beg your pardon but what is this sir?" asked the more technically minded man who could only manage to decipher the convoluted language of the first page.

"A gag order. Immunity from having to testify before a military and civilian court of law. You may not speak to anyone including the media about this. If you so much as hint at the events of today then it'll be more than just the law that comes crashing down upon you."

Devsky had the poor guy riveted to the spot with an icy stare. Slowly the man averted his eyes before flicking to the back page and shakily signing along the dotted line.

"Thank you." The general snatched the paper and stowed it back into his suitcase. "Dismissed."

Gratefully the man strode over to the door and exited. He would have broken into a run if he weren't held back suddenly by a pair of G-MIS field officers standing guard on either side of the door. After a thorough and uncomfortable search he was allowed to leave. As soon as he had disappeared the two agents opened the door and went inside where Devsky was waiting.

"Fresh prints." He pointed to the water bottle and the phone on the desk.

The agents pulled out latex gloves and plastic bags to handle the items while Devsky sat down in front of the UAV console. Taking out a data stick he plugged it into the side and transferred the entire video file into it.

* * *

Out in the wilderness of Barious the three G-ISD teams sent by Colonel Jessop a few days earlier were roused from their afternoon sleep by their commanders. Each was camped in dug hole a few kilometres from one of the three firebases occupied by Squads 1, 4 and 7. The reason why they slept in holes and not tents was that the desert was mostly flat and they didn't want to be seen by anyone, especially friendlies.

The intelligence and security apparatus of the Principality had exponentially grown under Devsky's reign. This is despite being given an infinitesimal percentage of the defence budget when he took charge in the summer of 1925, the G-MIS and its ISD sub-agency had since become far more involved in nearly every aspect of Gallian life.

Each ISD assault team consisted of fifteen men, all hardened criminals, ex-military, special forces, sociopaths or mercenaries, preferably a combination of at least three of these. All of them were recruited from prisons, psychiatric hospitals, the shadiest corners of Europa and occasionally POW camps, if specialist knowledge was required.

All of them were outfitted with off-the-shelf and standard military gear from Imperial and Federation militaries. This was the same with their weapons down to the last cartridge. Serial numbers were filed off and no dog-tags were issued. Their desert camouflage was unique to all Europan militaries, a close copy of the American six-colour desert pattern. No one would be implicated so anyone was a target. Each operative knew this and was issued with a ragnide pill in case of capture.

The commanders memorised the maps and orders transmitted to their PDAs from HQ before deleting them. They rallied their men and set off towards their destinations.

* * *

The noise of a mortar airburst cut short Avril's driving lesson for the quad bikes and DPVs as everyone hopped onto the nearest vehicle. The wounded were secured first and sent off with the coordinates for Squad 7's camp.

"Don't forget which pedal to brake with!" she shouted.

The Edelwiess had been idling nearby so Isara had it ready to move straight away however Welkin remained on the ground to sort everyone out.

"I'll cover you people," said Alan, slotting an EGLM below his SCAR and grabbing some ammo from the MULE before running off to face the enemy.

"Wendy you're driving! Theold get behind her and shoot the enemy when they're close enough!" Welkin directed the shocktrooper and lancer over to a quad. "Follow the Kiwi."

The Kiwi would lead the convoy in a DPV with the most seriously injured.

"Homer get over her before I run you over!" Edy shouted as she revved the engine of her quad.

"Don't wait for everyone to get ready, follow the Kiwi!" Welkin repeated as another quad took off carrying Rosie and Marina.

Alan dropped to a crouch and opened fire against the distant jeeps. Although they were very far away his HUD zoomed in so he could see the distant muzzle flashes of their mounted machine guns. A bullet buzzed right past his head, making him roll left before getting to his feet and launching a 40mm grenade.

Noce was about to ask Alicia to join him inside the DPV before Catherine wrenched open the door and jumped in.

"Floor it!"

"Hell yeah!" replied Montley as Noce reluctantly keyed the engine and sped off, following the convoy.

Faldio had finished helping buckle Jane Turner onto the quad driven by Mica Hawkins but he realised there wasn't any more vehicles left.

"Yo! Give me a sec and we'll get going!" said Avril as she programmed the coordinates into the MULE and sent it whirring away at a surprising speed after the others.

Alan was lying prone, firing on semi-automatic as he pulled his last mag out. He tapped it against his gun to check if it was full. Every used magazine had to be saved even if it was empty, which was extremely frustrating. One of the enemy jeeps in the distance stopped, smoke started pouring out of the bullet riddled engine blocks.

Looking over his shoulder Alan saw the last quad leave with Avril driving and Faldio on the back.

"Dammit!" he looked around and saw the Edelweiss was about to leave as well.

"Hey! You forgot someone!"

Alicia was riding on top near the turret when she heard the American shout. She tapped the hull and said, "Welkin, slow down so Alan can catch up."

She then called out, "Don't approach from behind, the raditator's h-!"

Too late for that. Alan had leapt up and tried to grab onto the back of the tank. However his left hand touched the engine radiator.

"Arggh!" He propelled himself up and rolled onto the Edelweiss as the heat burned the skin that was exposed on his fingerless glove.

"I told you so," said Alicia.

"What was that?" asked Welkin from inside the tank as it sped up.

"I touched the flamin radiator that's what!" cried Alan as he sat down on the turret. "Welkin please don't turn the turret, I'm sitting on it."

He ripped the glove off with his teeth and examined the reddened fingers. The skin was peeling off so he reached around with his unhurt hand for his medical kit.

"How does it feel?" Alicia came around gingerly. She had attached a carabiner from her webbing to the hull so that if she fell she wouldn't roll off the Edelweiss.

"Hurts like hell." He winced as he held up his hand to show her. The wind stung the raw wound.

"Here's something you can use."

She held up an open tin of blue-green gel.

"What is it?"

"Ragnaid salve. I used it whenever I got burnt baking. I used heaps of this stuff when I was a novice."

Alan dipped the fingers of his good hand in and applied the cool substance to the burns.

"Thanks," he said as the pain subsided dramatically.

"No probs," Alicia replied as the American tightly bandaged his fingers and slipped on his glove.

Just then a volley of bullets made her duck as several Imperial jeeps overtook the Edelweiss, chasing after the rest of the convoy.

"We've got more Imperials closing in from behind!" Alicia called urgently.

She could see more jeeps and trucks following the Edelweiss closely, some of the Imperials were readying lances.

"Get them off us, we can't go any faster," said Isara.

"I'll do my best." Alicia whipped up her rifle and fired at the nearest jeep, killing a lancer who was busy loading his weapon. Alan jumped up and fired a grenade at one of the trucks; it sailed through the windscreen and exploded inside, sending the men in the back flying.

* * *

Johann Oswald Eisen, also known as Oswald the Iron kicked the side of his jeep in frustration. Despite his expertise with machinery, he couldn't fix an engine shredded from the inside with bullet fragments.

The rest of his fireteam was out and about, searching through the corpses of the Russians killed earlier by the airstrike.

"Hey get away from him!" screamed a corporal, firing his gun in the air to scare off the vultures.

"Look out for unexploded ordnance the Russians warned us about," called out Johann.

He took off his helmet and poured some water through his hair before shaking it about. The temperature was less than ideal, especially inside their armour. Following his cue the other soldiers wearily prised off their headgear only to have their eyes assaulted by the sun which was headed west fast along with the Gallians they were supposed to be pursuing.

"What do we do sir?"

"Line up the dead. Get the injured by the jeep and call for a casevac," droned Johann, repeating the chores they'd been doing earlier that afternoon. "Sort any weapons and equipment into piles, they might need it later and no looting."

He didn't need to say the last part, his men were still getting used to his command but they trusted him especially in light of his performance under Selvaria and he returned that trust.

Reluctantly two of the Imperials lifted up one of the bodies and started moving it, taking care to avoid dripping more blood. Another gingerly pulled a torso by the webbing over to the other half of the body it was separated from. Everyone rewrapped the scarves they wore earlier against the sandstorm, this time to guard against the smell.

"Hey we found some live ones!" shouted the same corporal who'd shooed away the scavengers.

Johann followed the pitiful procession of the survivors back to the stricken jeep. On each stretcher was a Spetsnaz trooper, each varying injuries.

One man was having a tourniquet applied to his arm; his state of shock was so severe no one noticed he was alive until a medic checked his eyes for pupil dilation. He made no indication of pain as the medic tightened the band and placed his severed hand inside a bag of frozen ragnaid. Johann had heard rumours about their doctors being taught new microsurgery techniques to reattach limbs and transplant organs amongst many impossible things.

"Who's highest ranked and still able to talk here?" Johann asked one of the medics.

"That one." He pointed to a stretcher.

Johann walked up and read the dog-tags on the man's chest bare chest.

"Captain Miloslavskiy, I'm Lieutenant Johann Oswald Eisen." Johann winced slightly; he wasn't used to his new rank thanks to the commission awarded by Selvaria after the capture of Ghirlandaio.

"I thought I was going to get eaten out there. I owe you thanks for that."

"I'm sorry I can't say the same for the rest of your men Captain," replied Johan.

"Ah well…" the Russian cast a regretful eye over his fallen comrades. "They were getting on my nerves anyway. You don't wanna know how many wanted to commit suicide after finding out you Imperials never heard of vodka."

Johann was taken aback by the way in which Konstantin accepted his losses. He spluttered, "Surely it couldn't have been just that? I mean-."

"I'm kidding," said the Russian with a forced laugh. "They just miss home. Been like that even before we landed here. Its little things that we've lost when we went to war back then..."

"The little things huh? Well it's not so bad here, we get our weekly mail and stuff from home," answered Johann, unfolding a camp chair and sitting down.

"Da, but are your text messages censored and your gift vodka bottles half drained and diluted before they get to you?"

"Umm, I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage there Captain."

"Just Konstantin will do."

* * *

The Imperials and Gallians exchanged fire as their vehicles drew level. The quad bikes swerved to throw off the aim of the Imperials while the remote controlled machine guns on top of the DPVs returned fire.

Knute flinched as another bullet pinged off the armour of the DPV he was in.

"Dammit!" He felt to helpless being strapped to his stretcher, unable to move anything except his head.

"Can't you go any faster?" he asked Rosina who was at the wheel.

"Got the pedal to the metal buddy and that's all you're getting."

Nearby Marina was having a difficult time trying to land a hit while Rosie was driving.

"Stop swerving for a bit so I can get a bead on one of them," said Marina to Rosie.

After ducking as a lance warhead sailed close overhead, Rosie replied, "I can't keep it steady very long."

As she stabilised the quad bike Marina aimed down the sights at the driver of a truck and fired. The windscreen interior splattered with blood and the truck veered away.

Further in front Mica was trying desperately to keep his quad from crashing as a jeep attempted to ram him and Jane.

"I'm out," she said after checking for a magazine. "Got any more on you?"

"No I think I left it back at the Temple."

"Then how are you supposed to kill your quota of Imps for this operation?" asked Jane angrily.

"Since when did we have a quota? And even if there was I'd never fulfil it."

"Useless piece of-!" Jane looked over her shoulder and saw the hazard they were approaching. "You'd better not drive us off that bridge or it'll be an eternity of water-boarding for you and the Imps in the afterlife."

The driver of the jeep noticed the bridge too. An evil grin came onto his face as he pulled away and prepared for the shove that would send the Gallians overboard.

"Alright this is the only thing I can think of," said Jane as she primed a grenade and hid it from the view of the Imperial.

They were only thirty metres and closing fast upon the bridge.

"Just a bit closer… Mica, keep this thing going straight."

"Whatever."

The Imperial closed in at fifteen metres. Jane started cooking the grenade.

Ten metres, she could see the driver's face.

Five metres.

Jane threw the grenade to the side so it landed in the path of the jeep. It exploded right underneath, lifting up the vehicle and sending it tumbling ten metres in the air.

"Woohoo!" cheered Jane as the jeep fell… over the side of the bridge.

"Looks like there isn't any water down there," commented Mica after a brief glance.

"Who cares, he probably screamed all the way down," she retorted.

Near the back of the convoy Largo and Jann's quad was struggling with their combined mass. Most of it was due to their heavy lancer gear but a fair portion consisted of muscle mass. They were being harassed by two jeeps and two trucks, all filled with angry Imperials.

"We're not going fast enough, we need to dump something."

"If you're talking about the lances forget it Largo. I've only got two shots left and I'm dumping them in the most destructive way possible," Jann replied.

"There are three in my pouch here," said Largo.

Jann took aim at the nearest jeep and fired. The round struck it in the wheels, flipping it over.

"That's one!"

He loaded another and fired from the hip at a truck. It exploded cleanly inside the engine block, ripping the front off and bringing the vehicle to a halt.

"That's two!"

The third completely obliterated the last jeep after it punched into the side as the driver swerved trying to dodge it.

"That's three!"

He fired at the last truck. The round smashed into the windscreen but didn't detonate until it broke through the back and exploded.

"That's four!"

"Good, we're clear," said Largo.

All of a sudden an APC came charging down a slope in front of them. Largo's eyes widened in horror as he attempted to brake and swerve.

"Hang on! We're going to collide…"

But Jann instead turned and leaned to his right with his lance over his shoulder and held by his outstretched right arm. He fired it almost backwards, one handed.

The shot punched through the side armour and exploded inside, turning over the vehicle and allowing it to slide slowly down the slope as Largo and Jann passed by.

"THAT'S FIVE MOTHERFUCKERS!"

"Geez Jann, did you just get a testosterone boost then? You're scaring me here," said a very shocked Largo.

Jann blushed and in his usual voice answered, "Oh sorry Largo dear. I totally got carried away. It won't happen again."

"No, it's actually refreshing. Deep down you must be real angry about something or there's something pent up that you just can't release. If you find that combat helps then by all means scream away."

Jann sighed. If only Largo knew…

At the front Faldio tried to hold down his lunch while Avril delighted in going over each and every bump they encountered.

"Slow down! This is worse than that rollercoaster from the All Spiri-." He yelped as they went over a rise and flew for a few seconds.

They landed with a sickening jolt, for Faldio at least.

"At this rate I'm going to lose more than just my lunch."

Avril retorted, "Don't be a spoilsport; I liked V8s when I was younger. And besides, that last one was deliberate."

"What? So you're-."

"I was what?"

"Don't worry," said Faldio as he spotted the cactuses that now dotted the fields. "Just keep going straight."

Over the radio Welkin heard the confirmations that the Imperials had broken off their pursuit.

"Good work all of you, now proceed to the waypoint. The night is setting in so we haven't got time to waste."

**

* * *

By now you'd probably worked out that General Borodin Lukin is Brody Lukin, the Blackhawk pilot from Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas. Jann's outburst is related to his English voice actor, if you played Gears of War 2 it's likely you'd get it. If there's anything that needs working on let me know please.  
**


	13. No Rest for Trespassers

**I did make a mistake with the A-10s having afterburners. If there's anything like that just send a review. **

* * *

Wavy from Squad 4 was assigned to be Ellet's chauffeur across the Barious Desert. Her last destination would be Firebase 23-Golf where she wanted to another visit to the Militia's rising star Welkin Gunther and hopefully the American accompanying him. Twilight was approaching fast when their jeep approached the last checkpoint to the firebase.

A tent was propped up next to the road which abruptly ended with a roadblock with a sandbagged machine gun nest just to the side. Beyond that was a dirt track dotted with marker-lights which lit up in the dark. A single jeep was parked off to the side and a pair of Gallian regulars was on patrol.

Wavy slowed and stopped the jeep as a sergeant help up his hand and approached.

"I have orders from HQ to take-." Wavy was about to finish before the regular cut in.

"We know you're here to escort Miss Ellet to Firebase 23-Golf but I'm afraid new orders have come through. This area is now off-limits, I'm sorry but you will have to turn back."

Wavy opened his mouth but Ellet spoke first, "I've received personal assurances from Captain Varrot from the Militia 3rd Regiment that I'll be granted access to Squad 7."

"Key word being Militia. I'm sorry Miss Ellet but we don't report to Captain Varrot, you'll have to wait until Squad 7 is cleared before you can have your interview," the sergeant answered automatically.

"What's the reason for this?" asked Wavy, trying not to stare at the sergeant's peeling nose.

"I'm afraid I'm not really at liberty to discuss why, only that the lockdown is expected to be lifted in 96 hours," was the adamant reply.

"We're only headed towards Firebase 23-Golf, nowhere else. Are you sure you can't send one of your men to escort us so we won't run into whatever it is we're not allowed to see?" asked Ellet.

"Out of the question ma'am, those orders come from the top. I'll put you through to HQ if you want," offered the sergeant, gesturing towards the tent.

"No thanks," said Wavy. "We'll be on our way."

He reversed and turned the vehicle around and drove back down the road, ignoring his passenger's protests. Once they were out of sight of the checkpoint Wavy stopped the vehicle.

Ellet said scornfully, "So you've come to your senses have you? There's something going on isn't there?"

"No," answered Wavy in his most patient tone. "I just need you to stop yammering in my ear for the rest of this journey. If there's something wrong report it to Captain Varrot when we return to regional HQ"

"I know that guy's lying through his teeth, I've conducted dozens of interviews and I can spot a liar when-."

Wavy sighed and said, "That isn't going to fly you know. I've been catching young liars when I was teaching. I know there's something fishy but-"

Ellet interrupted, "Oh but I know why there's something wrong with that picture. The soldiers at Barious undergo a six month rotation and all of the soldiers I'd interviewed at the local HQ said they haven't been relieved since the outbreak of war. If those men have been stuck out here for all that time why haven't they got a tan? Did you see the sunburn that sergeant had? Those guys are new here."

Wavy thought about that and said, "Go on…"

Ellet continued, "Those jeeps too, the last guard rotation at each checkpoint should have taken place an hour before. Why weren't there any tracks near the jeep? The sandstorm had come and gone ages ago so they couldn't have been blown away. Where did the last bunch of guys leave and how did this new batch arrive if neither of them drove?"

"Ok so those guys were fooling us… Now I know why you're GBS's star investigative journalist," complimented Wavy as Ellet jumped out.

"Hey what the heck are you doing?" Wavy unbuckled his seatbelt and started getting out but Ellet was already slinging on her backpack and taken a few steps back in the direction of they came.

"I'm going to get my story, those guys tricked us and I'm not about to be robbed of the truth today," she called back.

"Hey! I can't let you do that?" Wavy ran after her trying to catch up. "It's all sand and nothing out there and I'm sure those guys whoever they are will be very accommodating if you run into them. And even if you pass them it's nearly ten klicks until you reach 23-Golf. If you don't pass out from the heat, thirst or get arrested, it won't be long till the sun sets and you'll freeze."

"Hey don't sweat it Wavy. I've climbed the Federation Alps with my boyfriend in near record time. I came prepared for hot and cold, rain or shine." Ellet pulled out a map. "It's risky job being a reporter and I intend to get the bottom of this and see the next millennium in this lifetime."

She set off on a jog, followed by Wavy before he realised that he'd passed his prime years ago. He stopped, panted for a bit before shouting and throwing his pistol as far as he could.

Ellet caught it and shouted, "I won't need this. It goes against the ethics of being a reporter!"

"Ma'am I can't stop you but it's my arse if something happens to you out there!" Wavy called back.

"Ellet turned the gun over and pulled the slider to check the chamber. "Won't you get in trouble for losing this?"

Wavy shrugged, "You'll need it more than I will. Better you uncover the truth and survive to vindicate me than allow you to go in unprepared."

Ellet sighed, slipped the pistol into the back of her trousers and continued her trek, waving goodbye.

* * *

The convoy had stopped in front of Firebase 23-Golf just as the sun was setting over the horizon. As Squad 1 and 7 got off their vehicles wearily; Salinas, Aika, Vyse and Montley came running out overjoyed to see the safe return of their comrades.

"What happened out there Welkin? We prepped the 'Medical Cave' for the wounded as you ordered," said Montley.

"Good let's get them inside now," answered Welkin, sliding off the Edelweiss.

As his orders were being carried out the uninjured Squad members headed off in a disorderly line towards for the armoury and showers. It had been an exhausting day for Squad 7 except for the four who remained behind.

"Hey! We made this place all nice and tidy for you guys," Vyse pointed out as every piled their unused weapons onto the table and dumped their armour directly on the ground, not bothering to sort them into their lockers and racks.

"Give us a break. We barely got enough sleep because of you and then we had to fight the Imperials in a bloody sandstorm and get chased out by them an hour later," said Hannes grumpily as he shrugged off his backpack.

"Don't forget about that Valkyria, or at least I think it was one," added Herbert as he left for the showers.

"That too and the American planes that kicked that Imperial supertank's arse," said Hannes, "On second thoughts that today wasn't such so bad."

"Wish I could have been there," said Vyse, forgetting about the mess everyone was causing.

"Shame you missed out on it, those flying machine were awesome," said Theold.

"Damn… I've got to get out more."

"We'll tell you all about it, once we're done washing and eating. I'm assuming you lot remembered to cook for us?" said Catherine as she hung up her rifle.

Meanwhile Faldio limped off the quad while Avril steered it into the garage.

"Remind me not to be in the same vehicle as you when you're driving," he said walking away carefully.

"This is nothing like horse riding Faldio. Next time sit sideways on the seat then," she replied.

Faldio winced as he sat down and and said, "No thanks, I'm never getting on one of those again."

With a loud whirr the MULE pulled into the garage which was kept deliberately free of all the vehicles save for the Edleweiss that Isara was fixing.

"Aww poor thing had to roll all the way here by itself," said Avril as she pulled the storage modules off the drone.

"You're showing an awful lot of concern for something that drives itself," said Faldio.

"Go have a cry. This thing is irreplaceable unlike you and nearly cost a million dollars back where I came from," she snapped back.

"What's that?" Isara asked, rolling out from under the Eldeweiss and wiping her hands on a rag. "Hey cool is that one of the robots everyone's been talking about?"

"You bet," said Avril, "Currently this one is equipped with the storage module. Basically it follows us around and if we only need to open it up."

Isara's ears perked up at this. She scuttled over to the MULE which was being disassembled by Avril.

"It's like a porter, only that it doesn't get tired," she said excitedly.

"Oh it does get tired," answered Avril," That's why it has rechargeable batteries. Say do you reckon you can help me with this thing. I need to get find a generator so could replace some of the gears on this thing. It's not made for long distance rolling."

"Off course!" the budding engineer was absolutely delighted for a chance to work with a robot.

Faldio quickly lost interest while Isara aked Avril about using the Cross-Com.

"Later girls, I'm going to get some ice."

Just then he caught up with Welkin and Alicia who were leaving down a tunnel.

Welkin then noticed the gash that across her forearm, "Alicia you're bleeding! Are you alright?" he exclaimed, eyes widening at the sight.

"What? It's just a scratch; it should heal up in no time," she answered, rolling up her sleeve and examining the injury.

"Looks like a bullet wound," commented Faldio, "But you're lucky it only nicked your arm but it still needs a dressing."

The three of them entered the infirmary but the medics were busy treating the others. A few of the less serious walking wounded were applying bandages, dressings and syringes to themselves.

"Take a number and we'll get back to you," said Mina as she passed with a tray full of suture kits.

"Come on, I can patch you up. Welkin you need to get everyone else settled down," said Faldio as he led Alicia to the corner. She sat opposite Alan who was pulling out the Small Arms Protective Insert from his right shin guard.

"Shit." He examined the deformed rifle bullet that was lodged in the boron carbide plate and rolled up his right trouser leg to reveal a purplish red bruise that ran up to his knee.

"That looks painful." Alicia winced at the sight of it.

"No wonder why I couldn't walk properly. I thought I broke my leg when I jumped off the tank just then," said Alan before he swallowed one of his prescribed painkillers. "That's an equally nasty cut you've got."

"I'll be alright. Whenever I get hurt I always make a quick recovery." Alicia sucked in her breath as Fladio cleaned the wound.

"Thanks very much," she said once he was done

"I wouldn't be a gentleman if I allow a lady to bleed out like that," answered Faldio.

* * *

"So boss what happened out there today?" asked Largo. He Rosie, Welkin and Alicia sat at a table in the mess hall which was empty. Squad 1 and 7 had occupied the showers while Salinas and Aika were attempting to find a solution for dinner.

"Prince Maximilian and one of his key generals were there along with some Russian," said Alicia. "It must have been something extremely important if they were willing to slow the invasion."

"And that general, Selvaria Bles. She's obviously a Valkyrur. Did you see how she just lit up?" said Welkin after a moment of silence. "At least I think that's how their powers manifested.

"Yeah. What the hell was that? She just shot the American plane out of the sky," added Rosie as she sipped out of a canteen.

The four of them sat there for a moment

"To hell with it! This doesn't make sense at all!" said Largo, leaning back in his chair. "Boss, just put what you saw in your report and send it off to Varrot and Torres. They need to know that the Imperials have a Valkyrur and the Russians are working with them as well."

"I already did that, I'm just waiting for Alan to finish his report before we send it off."

They all looked up as Salinas exclaimed from the kitchen, "I got it! Those MREs the Americans brought with them. The storage cave has a ton of those things lying around since."

"No Sal! Have you even tried those things? There's a reason why some they're called Meals Rejected by the Enemy. How can we feed our friends with things like those?" Aika protested loudly.

"Have you got a better idea? Your last attempt wasn't any better."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Maybe I should have made something in the morning before we left."

"Nah, it's good for them to try and come up with their own solutions once in a while," said Welkin. "I can't keep track of everything on the battlefield after all."

"Well they're lucky they have an easy way out," said Rosie, listening to Salinas and Aika bicker next door.

Largo pulled out a cigarette and got up to leave. "I'm fine with whatever they come up with, MRE or not. As long as there are vegetables."

* * *

General Blaise reclined in his chair while he regarded the Europan map displayed on the wall of his office in Ft Amtriain. Every five minutes more of the Europan continent appeared as a digital overlay appeared over the original hand-drawn map, a gift from the Royal Geographic Society. A few days ago he authorised the use of four UAV squadrons to survey the entirety of the continent. It was a major commitment but it was necessary considering the lack of satellites. Fortunately Gallia was a relatively small country and only a single squadron was needed for total coverage along with its neighbouring territories.

The situation on wasn't good. Red dots denoted the Imperials which covered most of the northern half of the country. In the east however there was a single line of red which was steadily moving back. The south was almost entirely liberated while most of the Imperials were gathered in the north. The geography was dominated by flat plains which favoured the numerically superior and armour focused Imperial army. Strangely enough the fighting had stalled and there hadn't been any significant developments there. Fouzen was separate from the main Imperial lines which made it vulnerable. Marberry coast was firmly under enemy control, preventing any amphibious offensives which could flank the Imperials in the north.

There was a rap on the door before Blaise's adjutant entered with a folder.

"Just give me the bullet points."

"Ok first and foremost we managed to identify and trace those signatures our UAVs overflying the Federation and Empire. We've confirmed that they were originating from Wroclaw AFB which was under the control of the Spetsnaz 30th Airborne and 19th Armoured Battalions last time we checked."

By 'last time' he meant before they had made the transition to this universe.

Blaise closed his eyes, his worst fears confirmed, wondering how he was going to explain this to the Gallian General staff.

"Send over a few Scryers to keep an eye on them. Do we can find out who's in charge over there?"

"No sir."

"The other signal?" He knew the answer before it came out of his adjutant's mouth.

"Plateau d'Albion."

Blaise sat up at this. Plateau d'Albion was home to the French land based nuclear arsenal up until the 1990s when it was decommissioned. It had become functional again as a site for important directed energy weapons R&D for the European armed forces. Most of this used to take place at CERN in Switzerland until the European Federation attempted to coerce Swiss membership by sabotaging their currency. This along with other disagreements caused the Swiss to end their cooperation in CERN. Since the facility was in Swiss territory, possession was nine tenths of the law so all EF scientists were evicted. Plateau d'Albion was the logical place to start over, especially in light of the new arms race. The Federation did have the final laugh by collapsing the section of the Large Hadron Collider that ran under the Swiss-French border, rendering the whole facility useless.

"Really? Tell me all there is to know," Blaise demanded. Perhaps it could have the answer to their transition into this universe.

"Well we've confirmed that Enforcer Battlegroups 11 and 17 have dispersed from Plateau d'Albion, possibly to join the war against the Imperials on the side of the Atlantic Federation."

"Prioritise that base for surveillance immediately, anything that glows in the dark or flies I want to know immediately."

The man nodded. Blaise fell back in his chair and motioned for him to continue.

"Ok… Well on the northern front the Gallians have-."

The general interrupted," If it's about the status of the forces I don't want to hear about it. I've been reading the reports."

"You might want to see this actually." The man flicked on the flatscreen on the wall and inserted a datastick into the side.

"This is the footage from the HUD of one of A-10s of Anvil flight. A few hours ago they engaged a joint Russian-Imperial force. One of the planes was damaged and the other was lost in the strangest circumstances."

The battle against the Batomys and Selvaria played itself out on the screen. After viewing it once the adjutant replayed the footage and pointed out the important features such as the strange Temple in the background and the Russian weapons on the Batomys. The star of the show was Selvaria.

"How the hell did she survive that volley?" the general wondered aloud.

"It might have something to do with that shield she was carrying, according to the flight leader it was able to deflect all the fragments from a clusterbomb."

"Do we have a name for this woman?" asked Blaise, trying to get his brain and eyes to agree.

"Umm not yet. We have yet to show the Gallians but I think it has something to do with a belief in some ancient civilisation."

Blaise nodded. "I'll present this to the next staff meeting with our hosts. They need to know about this as much as we do.

He rubbed his chin and muttered, "Just what the hell is going on in this world?"

"Moving on then. We've cleared 80% of the high priority personnel from Echo site. They're being put to use immediately as we speak."

"Go on."

Technicians, engineers and 'qualified' personnel from Echo site who passed the quarantine were being dispersed across Gallia. Many found themselves in lecture halls and laboratories, teaching the Gallians how to leapfrog technology and bypass the analogue age. Entire courses were being drafted by some of the computer techs from the USS Bannerman, teaching information theory and electronics. Quantum theory was being fiercely debated within the circles of Gallian science while astounding breakthroughs were being made in the applications of ragnite with new chemical engineering techniques. Even the hospital ship, USS Haven was running with a skeleton crew because most of the doctors and nurses had gone ashore to teach at Gallia's universities and hospitals.

All of this was too headache inducing for Blaise but he understood how it left him severely short staffed. Most of the vessels in the strike group were in port because so many of the skilled personnel had been poached away by the new advisory committees he'd approved without looking at their requirements. Now he examined every request form for anyone with a college degree, a task he didn't have time for. Even logistics and administrative personnel had been reassigned to 'help streamline the Gallian military administrative process and chain of command'. The remaining officers he had running the two battalions were too busy keeping track of each and every advisor attached to their Gallian counterparts to run their own units.

It wasn't long before Blaise started to drift off as his adjutant did his best to summarise the two dozen pages in the folder.

"Media still banging on the door?" he asked with his eyes closed.

"Uh…" The officer flipped to another page. "Well there's been no mention in the Federation and Imperial press of their respective guests. Here it is Gallia's worst kept secret. The government may officially deny they're hosting us but everyone can see it. Even without our helicopters and our ships. There's an especially persistent journalist, Irene Ellet who's on contract with the national broadcaster GBS.

Blaise grunted. A trifling matter in comparison.

"How are preparations going for our umm… open day?"

"Should be complete within two weeks sir."

The Americans had a surplus of additional aging hardware such as M1 Abrams tanks, Bradley IFVs, Strykers, AH-64D Apache gunships and artillery pieces. They were deployed to Echo site in anticipation for the Marines and Army to arrive as soon as the JSF had secured a beachhead. However the personnel to operate the equipment were waiting in Iceland along with the 6th Fleet remnant so they didn't make the transition with the JSF.

The open day was a planned PR event to showcase and the capabilities of the JSF to the public before the handover of the surplus equipment over to the Gallian military.

"Good, how about Gutierrez and this venture of his with Gallian Intelligence?"

Colonel Gutierrez, CO of the 29th Spec Ops Battalion had been approached with a request for cross-training exercises with the Military Intelligence personnel from General Devsky. Combat personnel from that battalion were currently training alongside ISD paramilitary units in camps across Gallia.

"Glowing reviews by all accounts. Of all the other Gallian units the Military Intelligence Section and their Intelligence Support Division has been able the most cooperative."

"Anything else?"

"Just this. Citadel detected a Predator drone over Barious, the same location as that battle we had just reviewed."

"One of ours?"

"No sir, if we lost control of a drone we would have had it recovered within two hours. It could only have been one of those given to Gallian Intelligence."

Blaise rubbed his chin, "So what's the problem? It's their property."

The adjutant rubbed the back of his head, "It's just a bit unusual I think."

The general rolled his eyes. "Leave it on my desk. Dismissed." Blaise was feeling his headache return.

As soon as his adjutant left Blaise opened the drawer in his desk and pulled out a bottle of paracetamol tablets. It was sobering to think that some of the things which were taken for granted like satellites, reliable air support and anti-depressants were years away from even being conceived.

* * *

Ellet had hiked nearly ten kilometres not including the additional two to avoid the checkpoint. As the sun began to set the temperature steadily dropped and she quickly pulled on a jacket. She couldn't afford to get cold, her clothes still clung to her after the heat of the day and she could lose a lot of heat especially at night. She didn't dare flick on the torch in case of patrols. Following the marker-lights at a distance she made sure she could hide in case a vehicle comes by.

After struggling over the top of a sand dune she stumbled and with a stifled cry she rolled all the way down the other side.

"Owww," she groaned, wondering how she could be so clumsy this time. Getting to her knees and coughing up some sand she dusted herself off and tried to get her bearings. Behind her was the slope she'd slid down just then. In front as far as she could see it was all level ground.

"I must be getting close," she said to herself when she saw what appeared to be a distant glint of light. After checking her map and compass by the light of the stars she set off on a sprint.

* * *

The ISD field commander and his men proceeded quickly but silently across the sand. In the dark they could proceed with much haste unlike daytime. Before the sun had set they had to move in a single file, taking care only to step in the footprints of the man in front. The unenviable task of taking the rear and ensuring that all the footprints were swept away was taken in shifts. Despite the darkness they were cautious. The commandos had split into two fireteams; one ran forward while the other was on overwatch. After twenty five metres the first team dropped to a crouch and provided cover as the second ran up and overtook them until they stopped and the process repeated. It was tiring and arduous but extremely necessary considering the nature of their mission. They finally came up on the remains of a collapsed bridge, their final waypoint. The commander who was taking point held up his arm, signalling a halt.

"Fifteen minutes. We're less than a klick away," he whispered to the nearest man who passed the word around quietly.


	14. Don't try this at Home

**As the title suggests: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.**

* * *

"Ladies and gentleman," Alan announced with reverence, "I present the Kalashnikov."

He held up the Russian rifle up in front of the Gallians in the 'Briefing Cave'.

A murmur reverberated throughout the cave as they regarded the weapon. Alan held it up to his shoulder and aimed down the sights before showing them the selector switch.

"With this I can chose semi-automatic, three round burst or full automatic. These are cheap and very easy to use and their range is inferior to most of our weapons. Look out though; a skilled shooter knows how to use each firing mode effectively."

A Russian 5.45x39mm bullet in a shell was passed around for the audience to examine.

"Doesn't seem like much," said Hannes, raising it up to his eye. "Its calibre's even smaller than that of the scouts."

"The thing is that this bullet has killed thousands back where I came. I've seen it rip through body armour, a full metal jacket and a hollow point helps too," said the Kiwi who was leaning against the wall in a shadowy corner.

"Right, anyway the AK is fed through a magazine rather like your Mags submachine guns." Alan picked up an empty magazine and slotted it in.

"The best way to work the bolt is to come in under." Holding the pistol grip in his right hand he used his left hand to come under the rifle to pull the charging handle which was situated on the right.

"Turn off your safety switch with the hand you're gripping with and now you may fire your AK."

Rosie held up her hand. "Ermm Lieutenant I think I know how a gun works and you did say it is easy to shoot," she said almost like she was talking to a child. "Is there anything else we should know?"

"Well… most of the Spetsnaz prefer to buy off-the-shelf accessories like rails, lasers and tactical sights," answered Alan lamely, unsurprisingly he found himself looking into the glazed eyes of nearly forty bored Gallians.

Thankfully Welkin and Faldio stepped in.

"Ok guys, you might have been wondering what's been going on today and for the benefit of those left behind…" Welkin nodded at Vyse, Montely Aika and Salinas, "We did witness a Valkyrur inside the Temple and that was a Valkyrur you witnessed out in the desert before we got on our rides."

Immediately everyone's head raised a little higher and loud whispers quickly circulated around the room.

Faldio spoke up, "What's also true is that we saw Prince Maximilian and with General Bles inside the Temple as well." He waited for the conversation to die down before dropping the bombshell. "General Bles is Valkyrian, the Imperials have a Valkyrur within their ranks."

* * *

Skargerret Naval Base lay in the west of Gallia where the fleet had retreated following the capture of Gallia's northern ports. Several vessels from the Olympia Strike Group had also sailed there from Echo site. The largest ship of the Gallian navy, the battleship GNS Gateway was in drydock undergoing a retrofit with components cannibalised from the USS Wayne, an Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer.

Cranes and dozens of crewmembers from both navies were working day and night, shifting the most important components like the radar and sonar arrays and the electronic and information warfare suites from the CIC. The SeaRAM and Metal Storm CIWS pods were transferred as well. The HVAPFSDS (high velocity armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot) electromagnetic railgun which replaced the Mk 45 cannon on all new American warships took pride of place at the bow of the Gateway. The rest of the armaments like cruise and anti-submarine missiles necessitated the removal of half the cannons on the Gallian vessel, that wasn't including the room for a helipad and the interior redesign for all these new features.

Captain Boyd sat at the bar at the Skargerret Officer's Club, his sleeves rolled up and tie undone. The USS Kinnear was the only submarine with the strike group and the decision whether to drydock and reverse engineer it was still being debated. He'd seen the sailors and officers from the Wayne pass through a few hours ago and he wasn't encouraged. That along with the fact that home was just a mere memory did wonders for the morale of him and the crew.

The dimly lit room was half filled that night; most of the patrons were from the Gallian army. The navy was too busy to let their personnel take a break. The remainder were Americans, a few guys from Boyd's submarine and the USS Jason Dunham. A pair of SEALs sat in the corner, glaring at anyone who tried to start a conversation while a pair of marines and an air force guy were quietly chatting in a booth.

"Should have called in sick that morning," Boyd said to no one. The bartender had started ignoring him a few hours ago as well.

"Then I'd be talking to another inebriate tonight," said Captain Navarro, pulling up a stool.

"Look who decided to show up," answered Boyd, "Fancy having you sneak up on me. Normally I'd be the one doing to sneaking, you know… with torpedoes and whatnot."

"Well that's what I need you to do. I've put forward your case with Blaise and he managed to talk to Hoffman, the Gallian navy chief and they've agreed that your boat won't be taken to the chop shop till at least the war is over."

Boyd stared at his friend for a while before saying, "Hell this is a great day. I'd never thought I'd see the day a submariner would thank the skipper of an aircraft carrier."

Navarro smiled, "I'd thought you'd celebrate appropriately, seems like you've beaten me to it." He rapped the counter to get the bartender's attention.

While Navarro made his order Boyd wiped his mouth and drained the last of his drink.

"So you actually came all the way out here from the Olympia just to tell me?"

"Umm, not exactly," answered Navarro, taking a sip and sliding a glass to Boyd. "Gotta check on the progress of the Wayne and the Gateway… and to give the Wayne's skipper a shoulder to cry on."

The submariner spat back into his glass. "Heh, that's something I've got to see."

The other captain gave him a friendly punch. "You'd be doing the same if I was the bearer of your bad news."

"What if they decided to take apart your fancy aircraft carrier?" Boyd slurred back.

"The reason why is because naval aviation is the way of the future and the CAG (Commander, Air Group) will back me up on that," answered Navarro after taking a gulp.

"Heh, I can see that got to you. They discussed the possibility didn't they? Heh, after all… planes don't exist here do they?" The submariner snickered.

"Neither do submarines."

There was silence as Navarro ordered another round of drinks.

"Something's gotten into you Fred… you wanna talk about it?" Navarro prodded gently.

Silence.

"Family huh?"

No answer.

"Well that's what everyone else is thinking you know… geez man. I know that we, the bulwark of our nation keep the seas safe and the enemy away from our jugulars… But we spend the most time away from home as well. Back then it was duty but here… I know it isn't fair."

Navarro stopped when he caught the eye of one of the SEALs.

"Well anyway," he added in a quieter voice. "Did you write a death letter?"

A nod.

"Did you pour your heart and soul into it?"

No answer.

"You did, didn't you?" The carrier captain gulped down another mouthful and nodded smugly. "You were always the sentimental type. Hell I remember you wrote one just before we crossed the equator for the first time. Remember? Kitty Hawk? 99? You were shitting yourself man!"

Just a grumble.

"Well when I wrote my death letter. I wrote two and that's all I needed. Well I was about to divorce that same month anyway so I haven't updated ever since. One was to my little monster. The other one's to my mate… think his name's Seth," said Navarro.

After another drink he continued in a slightly slurred voice, "I'll tell you what I wrote to Seth-_If you don't deliver the other letter to my little girl I'll haunt you for eternity_. That threat's enough to satisfy me."

He stopped and let that sink in. "You just need to be succinct and make sure you get the message through."

"What a load of shit I'm hearing," answered Boyd.

"Well no shit, you know me," Navarro retorted, "Do whatever works but don't let it rip you apart. You're the only submariner there is and we've got to share you with the Gallians."

He stood up, "Gotta go to the john, be right back."

While he stood at the urinal, staring at the strange blue ceramic wall he heard a shout outside.

"Shit." He finished, zipped up and ran out the door without washing his hands. The navy taught him to use the toilet without necessitating the use of water.

His worst fear was confirmed. Boyd was grappling with a pair of heavyweights from the Gallian army. The two apes were being goaded on by a ring of their mates.

"Goddamn." Navarro approached the largest one from behind and twirled him about with his right hand before striking him in the face down with a left hook.

As he turned for the other guy he felt a thump to his lower back which sent him sprawling before two pairs of hands had hauled him up by both armpits painfully. As they lifted him up and to the side he saw through teary eyes the American sailors, SEALs, the marines and even the airman rushing in to help. All rivalries and perceived injustices were cast aside for this particular moment.

_Bad idea, starting a fight in the presence of these guys._

In a second Navarro and Boyd were freed but the fight wasn't over. With a cry the Gallian regulars rushed the motley crew and the fight began in earnest.

A marine blocked a wild swing and kicked out the knees of one attacker while a SEAL dodged a wielded bottle, grabbed the Gallian's arm from the outside and swung his head onto the counter.

Meanwhile a seaman was tackled by three guys and brought kicking and punching to the ground. Boyd grappled with another and head butted him on the nose before blocking a thrown glass.

"Argh!" he took a second to glance at the cuts on his shoulder.

The air force guy staggered away with a deep gash across his cheek. With a cry a Gallian swung a pool cue at a SEAL. He trapped the stick and the guy's wrists between his torso and elbow, snapping the shaft immediately before embedding the broken off end into the attacker's shoulder.

Navarro kicked a regular in the crotch and helped up a marine before seeing a sailor hit the wall and slide away sideways, leaving a slight smear of blood. The door burst open and more of the Gallian army entered, looking to finish the fight.

"Outnumbered… just the way I like it," said a marine.

"Oorah!" the other replied.

The crowd charged. No messing around this time. The first Gallian to throw a punch had his arm broken by a seaman a second later. A SEAL grabbed one and pushed him back into his buddies. A marine round housed another Gallian before he was shoved over into a pile of stools. Boyd grabbed a stool and threw it with all his might into the crowd while the airman executed a judo throw on a particularly burly regular.

Navarro grabbed one man by the face only to feel his hair being dragged out of his scalp by another. Suddenly there was the ferocious blaring of a whistle as a dozen Gallian navy MPs stormed the bar, swinging batons and pulling the grapplers away from each other. More streamed in from the staff doors, pulling out handcuffs.

All of a sudden he felt himself being pushed to the ground with a cold hard baton to his neck and someone's knee in his lower back, right where he'd been kicked earlier. Out the corner of his eye he could see Boyd being given the same treatment. They made eye contact and grinned before Navarro returned his attention to what caught his eye just as he was floored.

"Hey officer! The tooth fairy's calling."

* * *

After the general hubbub and temporary despair had passed Welkin continued with the briefing.

"Alright, listen up. We have to report this to our superiors but right now this Valkyria just our greatest concern." He turned to Avril. "You may begin."

"Thank you Lieutenant Gunther," said Avril as she took centre stage and flicked on the projector. "Meet General Borodin Lukin."

A picture of the Russian appeared on the screen along with several other videos running in bottom right and tops left corners. Ogre tanks crossed a snowy battleground with ease, demolishing the EF Leopard tanks arrayed against them. The other video was taken with a starlight camera showing a Wolves commando unit landing by parachute on top of a building before entering and clearing it.

"General Lukin's the commander of the 30th Airborne and 19th Armoured Battalions. By disposition he's primarily an airborne unit commander. That means he's more accustomed to using highly mobile units like paratroopers and helicopter borne shock infantry to flank and hit behind enemy lines. His tank units could be a devastating addition to the Imperials. What we've got is a man who's capable of inflicting some serious hurt both in direct confrontation and against our flanks."

She flicked through a montage of other battles.

Meanwhile Welkin, Alan and Faldio studied the printed profile on the general. Born in Britain, 1980 with half Russian-British citizenship. Joined the Russian army in 2004 and trained as a helicopter pilot before joining the VDV paratroopers. Invited into RAINBOW as a helicopter pilot in 2007. Rejoined the Russian army in 2012. Postings as the defence attaché to their embassies in Vienna and Tokyo. Passed selection into the newly formed Spetsnaz Guard brigade in 2016.

"Gets around a lot doesn't he?" remarked Faldio quietly, even though he'd never heard of any of the countries

"A lot more cosmopolitan than your average Russian general I guess," replied Alan.

"How did you get this info so quickly, I thought you were cut off from that thing you call the interwebs I think?" asked Welkin, leaning over.

"Internet. We kept an eye on the officer corps of the SGB. British SIS had a file on Lukin as well partly because of his citizenship. The USS Bannerman has a massive archive which was updated weekly from its datalink to our intelligence agencies: CIA, NSA, DIA, etcetera."

"Right…" Welkin and Faldio decided to leave it at that.

Avril wrapped up the briefing, "What we witnessed today could potentially change this war. Right now all you need to concentrate on is fighting with all you've got. If the Imperials have got the Russians don't forget we're here to help as well."

There was a polite smattering of applause while Alan shook his head.

_Just had to prove to me again how she's better than me_.

"Alright, time to wrap this up," said Welkin as he and Faldio nudged Alan painfully from both sides.

Getting up Alan asked, "Any questions?"

No response, just a lot of tired eyes.

"Dismissed."

* * *

Most of the Gallians had turned in early for the night, the battle was an exhausting ordeal and they were supposed to be on patrol at first light. However in the mess Wendy wasn't done yet. She sat at a table across from Melville and Ted Ustinov from Squad 1.

"Whenever there's something that can heat itself there's always the opportunity for some mischief," said Wendy as she tore open the khaki brown plastic envelope and dumped the contents onto the tabletop.

"Stop wasting food Wendy," Ted whined in mock indignation.

"Can you even call that food? More like Materials Resembling Edibles," said Melville.

"Shush boys, I've tried this before. First with just diet coke and mentos," whispered Wendy.

The boys winced at the mention of the foul tasting foreign beverage.

"I wanna see what this really does," she continued, pulling out the heating packet.

An MRE self heating kit consists of a sealable insulated bag which was supposed to hold the vacuum sealed food bag inside along with the self heating packet. Add a little bit of water or any liquid containing water. The heat pack is water permeable so its contents carry out an exothermic chemical reaction with the water, releasing heat for the food.

Cutting open the packet she poured the contents into a plastic diet coke bottle which still had a little diet coke before tossing in a mentos and screwing on the lid.

"Fire in the hole!"

The three of them hurried away to a safe distance.

"Hey it looks like its swelling," said Ted.

"Any moment now…" Wendy had one eye on her watch.

The bottle was starting to bulge with a light brownish froth before…

"Oh! Hot damn!" exclaimed Melville as the bottle disappeared with a loud pop and the table was splattered with a layer of diet coke and mentos.

"Success. That was even more violent than expected," said Wendy as she inspected ground zero which consisted of a deformed plastic bottle base and little else.

"Here's the bottle!" Ted held up the broken casing.

"Excellent, get me another."

Melville entered the kitchen and found the American supplied fridge which was stacked with diet coke.

He returned a moment later and said, "They're all full."

Wendy gave him a questioning look. "Well don't be daft. We only need half a bottle so make the other half disappear. Drink it or tip it down the sink I don't care but I need it at least half empty."

After the scout had carried out her orders and returned, Welkin entered the mess.

"Isn't it bedtime for you guys?"

"Umm, not yet," replied Wendy, trying her best to look innocent.

"Yeah, it's all cool here," said Ted, sitting on the wet table to cover the explosion site.

Welkin rubbed his chin and said, "I thought I heard a noise in here earlier… Well don't stay up too late and try to keep it down, there's others trying to get some sleep."

After he'd left the trio departed towards the garage where they wouldn't be disturbed.

"Hah, look at you Ted, had a little accident there did we?" taunted Melville, pointing at Ted's wet pants which were soaked with coke.

"Very funny Melville, I'm going to have to go to bed cold after this," retorted Ted.

"Shut up both of you, we can't be heard now," hissed Wendy.

"Sorry."

They found a clearing in front of the Edelweiss and placed a half empty bottle on the ground.

Looking around surreptitiously, Wendy ripped open another MRE and pulled out the vacuum foil bag this time.

"Hey what are you doing?" asked Ted as she poured the powder into the bottle.

"Augmenting my creation," she answered without looking up.

"This is going to be good," said Melville excitedly, jumping up and down.

After stirring the mixture by shaking the bottle, Wendy reached into the MRE and pulled out a bottle of Tabasco sauce.

"Hey it's that hot and spicy sauce! What are you-? Ohhh." Melville's eyes widened.

"This is gonna be good, can't wait to try this on a real target," said Ted.

"I don't think Marina's going to look on you doing such things very favourably," said Wendy, as she emptied the bottle contents and stirred again.

"I see what this is. You're going to make tear gas as well," said Melville.

"Now for the dangerous part, get back boys." Wendy opened another heat pack and poured in the contents before chucking in a mentos.

"Shit, where's the lid?"

There was a panicked scrabble as they searched around on the sandy floor before Wendy snatched up the lid and sealed the bottle. The three of them then ran and dived to cover again.

"Fire in the hole!"

A minute and a half later there was a wet but loud pop. A second later they peeked around the corner and inspected the results.

"Aww! That's gross!" Melville just stepped in a puddle.

"Yes! Success!" Wendy leaned in to inspect a steaming patch of coke flavoured curry which was giving off an eye watering vapour.

"This is awesome! Great work!" complimented Ted, picking up the remains of the bottle.

"Oh no," said Melville, suddenly noticing the mess on the walls.

"Oh no." Wendy took up the call when she looked up at the ceiling.

"Isara's going to kill us," said Ted, staring at the Edelweiss.

The others looked too.

"And use what's left of us to grease her tank."

* * *

Meanwhile Faldio walked into one of the 'Sleeping Caves'.

"Hey Welkin."

He stopped when he saw the lieutenant already snoring in a bunk.

"Alright I'll come back later." As he went back into the tunnel he spotted a blue glow coming from the adjacent cave.

"What the…?" It looked to him like the glow from inside the Barious Temple.

Slowly he entered the cave, keeping his hand near his pistol holster.

_Could it be that Valkyrur?_

He reached the threshold and peeked out the side but ducked back. A few seconds later it faded and disappeared. Cautiously he walked into the cave.

There wasn't any way in as far as he could tell. The cave was small and had only one entrance and nobody except for Alicia in her bunk.

_Alicia?_

Faldio stared at her sleeping form for a moment before exiting and leaning against the wall.

"Hey Faldio. What was that light?"

He looked up as Alan approached from one end of the tunnel.

"No I got him first," said Avril suddenly from behind and the other end of the tunnel.

"This is urgent," said Alan, ignoring her.

"What I've got for him is far more than whatever's going to come out of your mouth," retorted Avril.

Alan bristled and answered, "You're really desperate to see him. Is it professional? Sounds like -."

"Not another word or I'm going to plant your face into the wall if you say anything like that," she warned.

"Ok quieten down guys what is it that's so urgent tonight Avril? I'll find you in a bit Alan."

Alan crossed his arms in frustration as Avril led the Squad 1 commander down the tunnel.

_Bitch always gets her way_.

He stomped back into the 'Ops Cave' where the Kiwi was reclining in a chair in front of his laptop.

"What are you doing up so late LT?" he asked without looking up.

"Gotta make sure everything here's working fine before I go," Alan replied, pulling up a chair and joining the Kiwi in watching the screen.

Around the firebase perimeter two PD-6 sentry drones were on patrol, their video feeds streamed back to the Kiwi's laptop display.

"All's clear so far," said the NZSAS commando as he leaned forward and then back. "Damn, I wish I had a rocking chair here."

On the sentry routine the PD-6 drones were programmed with an adaptation of the General Orders for Sentries which were the set of rules memorised by all members of the US armed forces. That way they could respond effectively to intruders without having the original software designers to program entire subroutines from scratch.

The radio squawked and Alan answered it.

"3-7 here."

"3-7 this is Ringmaster we hear you loud and clear. We're seeing what appears to be a general withdrawal of Imperial forces from the entire Barious region."

"That's great news Ringmaster, any idea what's going on?"

"Negative, 3-7. It appears they're withdrawing of their own accord. No friendly forces are in the vicinity save for the other firebases."

"Alright Ringmaster, thanks for your help."

"Your welcome 3-7, sleep tight, Ringmaster out."

"Ok I'm going on a walkabout as you guys may call it," said Alan once his interest had dimmed.

"Mate I'm not Australian, got that?" said the Kiwi in mock anger as the Lieutenant disappeared into the tunnel.

"Bloody Yanks," he muttered and returned to his vigil.

* * *

The break had taken longer than expected. The latest surveillance had necessitated a change of plans in which the other two ISD teams would be relegated new containment tasks in support of this particular mission.

"Landlines cut, preparing to exfil."

"All's quiet this end; no traffic's getting through here."

All were encoded of course and the commander responded with an acknowledgement signal. After that he waved his finger in a circle, gathering his men around.

"I know we've wasted more time than necessary. Finish whatever you need to do, we move in two minutes," he said tonelessly.

The commandos nodded, they already had their gear and weapons on and were ready for immediate action except for one man who needed suddenly had the urge to answer nature's call.

"Don't forget which bottle," whispered his friend.

"Yeah, I'm getting sick of this opsec bullshit, can't a man be free to do his business?" He walked away from the main group.

The commander overheard this and considered chewing out the guy but thought better of it.

It was a bit of a hassle, trying to undo the zipper on the trousers, retrieving the 'special purpose' bottle from his pack and trying to use it properly. The commando closed his eyes as he heard the bottle filling noisily.

Ellet walked closer to the broken bridge. She stopped and listened but there was silence. Leaning out behind a rock she could see a distant glimmer of light. She was getting close. Taking a few cautious steps she decided to go under the bridge.

The commando opened his eyes as soon as he heard the footsteps. Suddenly he saw a shadow appear in front of him.

There was a strange gurgling sound as Ellet rounded a corner. Unconsciously she drew the pistol from behind her belt, flicked on her torch and pointed it into the dark corner where she heard the noise.

By the time the light had settled on him the commando had done up his pants and turned around. The bottle fell at his feet and tipped over while he rushed at the figure holding the torch.

Ellet cried out when she the man in Imperial-esque armour spin and charge at her. There was a glint as a knife appeared in his hand. Closing her eyes she pulled the trigger on the pistol. With a grunt the man fell, not from a bullet but from a crack in the ground. Ellet had forgotten to unsafety her weapon. Opening her eyes and seeing the man facedown on the ground Ellet ran past him. The rest of the assault team looked up, stunned as they watched the slender shadowy figure rush right through them.

"Weapons tight! No shooting!" the commander called out before pointing to the closest two men. "You two, after her!"

Ellet kept on sprinting. _Were those Imperials Special Forces? What are they doing out here? I've got to warn Squad 7. That is if I get there…_ She ignored the burning in her calves as she pushed her already exhausted muscles. Behind her the two pursuing commandos had stripped off their kit including weapons and armour, leaving only knives in their hands. Hearing the quick thumping footfalls behind her spurred Ellet onwards. The distant light was getting closer and closer. She could make out the contours of the low rising bunker in the dim starlight.

Her pursuers wished they'd brought the silent crossbows they saw in their arsenal earlier. Catching the woman was proving to be far more difficult than expected. Suddenly in their earpieces they heard their commander's new order.

"Halt!"

Both men slid to a stop in a cloud of dust, crouching down low and watching their quarry escaping.

"Sentry drone approaching, 10 o'clock, north."

The rest of the team had left the cover of the bridge while the commander observed the chase through a night vision scope. From where they were the two commandos could hear a soft whirring but could see anything as they squinted to north.

"Fall back, don't let yourself be seen," said the commander.

It took all the self control and discipline that had been drilled into him not to throw the night vision scope onto the ground. It was a very valuable piece of equipment from the Americans after all.

_Perhaps I should have requisitioned some of those suppressed weapons._

A minute later the team had regrouped and he began the final preparations.

"This location is perfect. You two don't forget to set the charge to thirty minutes. Head out to your entrance points."

There was no response, no enthusiasm other than a quiet nod from one or two men. Immediately the group separated into two fireteams like before. This time they headed off in different directions. While this was happening two of the commandos stayed behind and rapidly assembled what appeared to be an two metre high antenna on a tripod.

"Ready?" They heard over their earpieces.

"Yes sir," answered one. "Exactly thirty minutes starting now."

"Charge planted?"

"Just about ready," said the other man.

He planted the C-4 charges on the antenna and daisy chained some det cord between them to a timed fuse. The antenna and explosives was American supplied as well. There was enough to ensure there won't be any traces left.

"Go dark."

"Rodger." The jammer activated and the charge timer started counting down.

* * *

**Don't try to make MRE bombs, get drunk and start fights nor should you run with knives. Urinating into a bottle is up to your discretion. **


	15. Unintended Consequences

**I know it's been a long time but I've also been working on my other fic and also because of exams in real life. The next few months will be hectic and updates will be sporadic but I'll be adding chapters more regularly after November so I ask that you be patient. Thanks for reading and as always reviews are appreciated. **

* * *

Wendy, Ted and Melville glanced up in surprise as they heard the patter of distant footfalls approaching. Screwing the lid back on the unfinished MRE bomb, Wendy motioned for the boys to take cover behind the Edelweiss while she hid behind a barrel.

A tense thirty seconds passed as the person running outside slowed to an exhausted stagger. Irene Ellet emerged into the brightly lit garage and knelt coughing as she tried to catch her breath.

"That's the reporter Ellet. What the heck's she doing here?" said Melville, taking a peek.

"What? Really?" Ted pushed his friend out of the way but was dragged back almost immediately.

"She's got a gun!" whispered Melville loudly.

"Why would she have one?"

"Hell if I know." Melville slowly drew his pistol and peered around the corner again. "Go check with Wendy and see what she wants us to do."

Just as Ellet had recovered and straightened up there was a shout as Wendy had drawn her pistol and jumped out from behind her hiding place.

"Drop your weapon!"

"Huh?" Ellet froze when she saw the shocktrooper emerge along with the two scouts from behind the tank.

Wendy repeated with a motion of her hand," I said drop your weapon!"

Ellet this time recognised the Gallian blue and red and complied, having forgotten about the gun she'd received from Wavy. The shocktrooper approached, keeping her weapon trained on the reporter until she reached the gun on the ground and kicked it over to Ted.

"Melville, go alert the others. Ted check that gun. I think it looks like one of ours," she ordered as she motioned for Ellet to get on her knees.

"Ok I'll be back soon," Melville called back as he rushed back into the tunnel.

"I'm Irene Ellet, the reporter from GB-." Ellet was interrupted when Wendy shoved her over and started searching for more weapons.

"Yeah it's one of ours. There's one in the spout, safety's on, full mag. This piece has been well kept," reported Ted.

"I guess all that buddy checking from Rodriguez has paid off," said Faldio, followed by Melville and Avril.

"Who's this?" asked Avril, regarding Ellet who was protesting to being frisked by Wendy.

"Oh that's Irene Ellet; she interviewed me earlier. I forgot that she had an appointment with Welkin," answered Faldio before saying to Wendy, "That won't be necessary soldier, she's harmless."

As Wendy helped the reporter to her feet and helped her dust off Ellet said, "Thanks, I remember speaking to you after Vasel."

"Faldio Landzaat," the Squad 1 lieutenant reintroduced himself. "So what brings you here looking like you've seen a ghost and carrying a Gallian issue pistol?"

"Imperials, I think… Their helmets looked Imperial enough but their uniforms were different," Ellet replied, "I passed them near a broken bridge. I can only think they'll be headed here."

"Ok, we'd better get everyone awake. Sentry drones or not I think it's safest if we're prepared." Faldio led them back down the tunned to the 'Ops Cave'.

"How can you be sure?" Avril questioned, "And where did you get the gun?"

"One of the soldiers from Squad 4. He escorted me here until the last checkpoint but the guards won't let us through. They said this area's been locked down but I'm very sure there's something very suss about them," Ellet reported very quickly.

"Never mind about that. Just leave it to us," said Avril before asking Faldio, "How far is that landmark she mentioned? The broken bridge?"

"Less than a klick away if I remember correctly," answered Faldio, breaking into a run.

"By the way, who might you be?" Ellet questioned Avril.

"Lieutenant Avril Dolburn, I'm his American liaison."

She handed the reporter a navy blue flak vest with the words PRESS in white block letters.

"Yeah, maybe we can have a quick chat when this is all over," said Ellet.

* * *

"Shit," muttered the Kiwi as soon as the sensor display and the drone footage froze. He tested the radio but got no response.

"Hey! LT! Got a problem here!" he called out.

A few seconds later Faldio skidded into the cave.

"We've got Imperials less than a klick away," he reported as he strode over to the Kiwi.

"No shit. We've got problems of our own here." The Kiwi gestured to the console. "I think we've got someone jamming us."

Faldio tried the land lines but there was no response. "Shit, we're cut off." He paced for a bit, thinking.

"This is too perfect. There are Imperials out there and we can't call for help. And Ellet said there's a lockdown. What the hell's going on?"

"I don't know but you'd better look at this." The Kiwi was peering at the screen on his laptop. He pointed out the red outlined contacts which were on the very edge of the sensors' range. "This was what the sensors picked up last before the jamming started."

"Shit, get everyone up immediately. We're going to be hit," said Faldio slowly.

"Hit?" asked Alan and Welkin from the cave entrance.

"You heard me," said Faldio, pushing past them. "The Imperials are here."

* * *

Outside the G-ISD force separated, one fireteam headed for the base while the other bore south east. Meanwhile the sentry drones remained idle while the jammer continued to transmit.

The commander's fireteam found the hole in the sandstone plateau right where the map he'd memorised from the PDA indicated it was. One man prepared a silenced electrical drill and embedded a spike into the rock. Attaching a carabiner to the spike the point man slowly rappelled down the hole which was barely a metre wide at most. A safety line was held by another man in case the spike didn't hold. The sound of the commando's breathing echoed up to his colleagues. There was a grunt before a few metallic clinks and then nothing. Finally a red light shone up at them: two long. Clear.

The commander went next, moving more quickly than the scout who stood guard below. A red light torch was attached to his helmet which scanned over the rough sandstone walls in the chamber. A few minutes later the fireteam had reassembled. A few bats fluttered overhead, exiting up the tunnel they'd descended through. The commander gestured for the men to fan out, moving as quickly and silently as possible. As they reached the tunnel entrance the walls narrowed in so the commandos adjusted their formation accordingly. The commander held up his hand, index finger pointing up and thumb out. All the men except those carrying ZM MP submachine guns drew their pistols and knives. Following the commander's cue they all threaded silencers on the pistols.

Suddenly the point man held up a fist. Everyone froze and assumed a defensive posture. The point man's boot was poised over a line across the sandy ground. Taking a step back he crouched and slowly traced the line back to a claymore mine. Holding his breath the commando disarmed the trap and held it up, showing it to the commander and the rest of the fireteam before continuing.

* * *

Meanwhile the 2iC and his men had crawled over to the edge of the artillery pit. Down below they could hear voices and a great deal of activity from the rest of the base but it was entirely dark amongst the howitzers which were still pointed in the direction of the battle earlier that afternoon. Since the ground was softer around the pit the spikes were placed without drills but were further away from the edge. Half the fireteam rappelled down while their colleagues covered them from above.

* * *

"Anything?" asked Claudia, standing behind Catherine who was up at the bunker, scanning the darkness with a night scope.

"Nothing out there. If anything moves I'll be sure to spot it for sure," she answered.

"How many do you think are out there?" Claudia wondered aloud, peering nervously into the dark.

"What defensive measures are still active?" Alan asked the Kiwi as they left the armoury.

"So long as we stay within the walls we should be fine," said the Kiwi, checking his wrist mounted PDA, showing feeds from several sensors spread throughout the tunnel network of the firebase. Security camera footage was streamed directly into the C-C monocle he wore.

"The walls will interfere with our signals as well, communications in here will be difficult," Alan stated, shaking his head.

"No shit. We'll need to use the intercoms and they're barely covert," the Kiwi replied as they headed to the 'Ops Cave'.

* * *

Inside Avril was briefing the platoon or regulars, while Welkin and Faldio organised the defence.

"Don't forget that we need depth, in case they penetrate further than the mine fields. Without the drones and the sensors we don't have a clue what's going on out there," said Welkin.

"It's too dark outside and there's too much ground to cover. Our best bet is to ride this thing out until reinforcements arrive," Faldio continued.

"Rotating shifts, everyone. Stick to your paths and report anything suspicious with the intercoms. Those of you who aren't as suited for direct combat must remain in here or in the medical bay." Welkin looked at Isara before going on, "Fortunately we'll be working with the regulars here as well."

The briefing concluded and everyone dispersed, heading for the armoury and their designated patrols.

* * *

Wavy waited expectantly outside the tent of his commanding officer. A few minutes earlier after hearing no word from Squad 1 or 7 there was an urgent radio call from Captain Torres. Wavy's commander had chewed him out for allowing Ellet to go unaccompanied into the restricted area. The disappearance of his pistol didn't help.

He snapped to attention as Squad 4's commander stepped out, shaking his head in puzzlement. He beckoned for Wavy to follow.

"It seems that we've been called up by the Joint US-Gallian command to investigate the 'disappearance of Squad 1 and 7' which was totally contrary to our previous orders not to go there," he said irritably.

Feeling somewhat vindicated Wavy asked, "Those orders don't apply to Americans do they?"

"Apparently not," said the commander, "I don't see how they've got so much clout with HQ so quickly but..." He trailed off when he saw his American counterpart approaching from the other side of the camp.

"Anyways, support will be coming in from Ringmaster," he said to Wavy, "Get the Squad prepped; I want everyone on the road in less than ten minutes."

* * *

The commandos pressed their backs to the wall as soon as they heard voices echoing in the tunnels ahead. There was a tense moment of waiting before the commander held up a fist, stood up and prowled forward, aiming his pistol down the tunnel. Sticking to the side he came up to a fork. The sound of voices could be heard coming from the left tunnel. Turning around he beckoned for two of his men to come. Once they were there the commander ordered one to back up a few metres so he could hide in the shadows. He and the other man then crossed over to the tunnel on the right. The commando kept a lookout in the tunnel, covering the leader as he waited.

The minutes dragged by and the echoing grew louder. Finally the commander could see the shadows form on the rock walls in from of him. Fully focused he forgot about everything that was going on around him, hoping that the man watching his back was ready.

Four Gallian regulars came into view, only three were in the kill zone. One was hanging back for some reason. The commander held his breath and waited, hoping the man on the other side could see the straggler. The trio stopped walking; they were just about to enter the tunnel where the rest of the fireteam was waiting.

The three targets turned around; looking back down the tunnel they came. One of them called out to the straggler who had yet to make an appearance. The waiting commando suddenly swung into action, leaning to his right and firing his silenced pistol twice. The three regulars jumped up at the cracks and started to turn. At once the commander whipped up his gun and fired a double tap, catching the closest man in the throat and chest before shooting once at the man next to him in the face. The last soldier managed to bring up his gun but a bullet in the back from the first shooter finished him.

After signalling to the man on the other side the commander slid out and into the other tunnel where the patrol had come, pressing up to the wall. At his feet lay the fourth member of the patrol who was shot first. The commando who killed him gestured to the others waiting behind before they all came out to check and hide the bodies. The fireteam quickly reformed around their leader before continuing.

* * *

The 2iC was wiring the charges on the howitzers and the ammunition crates. Unexpectedly the door to the cave opened and in stepped a patrol of regulars. They didn't notice the men on either side of the door. The rest of the fireteam continued with their task before exiting through the same door.

* * *

"We've got a problem," said the lieutenant in charge of the regulars to Welkin.

"Yeah?" asked Welkin urgently, bringing him over to the rest of the officers including the Kiwi and Alicia.

"I've lost contact with some of my men. One patrol to the back caves and the other around the artillery pit."

"Could it be interference with the radios?" asked Avril.

"Can't be, they've been reporting in via the intercom at each junction. No two of them are any more than two minutes apart at most," replied the army lieutenant.

They all pondered this briefly before Alan said, "Let's assume the worst, there aren't any back doors are there?"

"Just that cave Vyse and his gang explored early this morning remember?" said Alicia, "I think we left a claymore back there in case there was some unknown passage."

"It's possible they could have disarmed it, it was a simple tripwire mine after all," said Welkin.

"If we're going to check it out we need to move as a group, if we're picked off one by one that's the last thing we need," said Faldio.

"Should we call everyone back?" suggested Avril, "Reorganise the paths and beef up the patrols?"

"I think that would be a good idea," said Faldio.

Just then the Kiwi checked his PDA and said, "Guys, something's wrong here."

"What?" asked Welkin.

"Herbert and Aika have gone very still." The Kiwi showed Welkin the Squad tracker map.

"Ok call everyone back. We begin a sweep with everyone starting from the ops and med caves all the way to the back." Welkin grabbed a pistol off the table and headed towards the door followed by Alicia, Faldio and Avril.

"Hey! What about the planning and stuff?" called Alan.

"I trust you can get it done. Let the rest of them know we're trying to get to Herbert and Aika," Faldio called back.

* * *

The tunnels were devoid of activity. Nothing else could be heard save for the dripping of cave water and their own footsteps. The commander held up his hand when he heard voices again. This time it sounded like an argument.

"Dammit Herbert, you can't just sit here and pull guard duty. Welkin told us we're patrolling tonight," said a female voice.

"It's not like he's patrolling himself now is he? The boss won't find out and besides, we were woken up at this untimely hour," a male replied.

The commander pointed to a side tunnel. The point man entered and began circling around.

It didn't take long for Welkin to locate Herbert and Aika who were in the middle of an argument as soon as he turned up.

"I told you you'd be busted if you kept us here," said Aika as soon as she saw their commanding officer turn up.

"Both of you need to get back now. Some of the regulars have disappeared and there's no way of telling if those Imperials are already in here or not," said Welkin, walking over the pair. He failed to notice the tripwire he'd stepped over.

"Geez, now you tell us boss?" the engineer complained.

"Radios don't work well in here Herbert," Welkin replied, pointing to the tunnel where Alicia, Faldio and Avril were waiting.

There was a sudden cry from behind followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground.

"Aika!" Alicia called out. She rushed forward before Faldio noticed the line running across the ground.

"Wait!" He leapt forward and dragged her back just as she was about to step on the tripwire. Looking up Faldio shouted to the retreating engineer, "Don't come here, there's a trap, take cover over there!"

Herbert complied and rushed over to the side tunnel where one of the ISD commandos was waiting.

Meanwhile Welkin covered Aika, firing his pistol into the tunnel where he thought the shooter was. He looked down briefly to see the growing bloodstain on her uniform and then checked her pulse.

"She's still alive. Cover me so I can get her back here!" he called back to the others.

As soon as Herbert had gone into the tunnel he saw the glint of a knife heading straight for his belly. Instinctively he reached out and grabbed the hand holding it with both of his own. A fist suddenly made contact with his temple and the engineer stumbled back, almost seeing black for a moment. Herbert's assailant reversed the grip on his knife and lunged but the engineer stood up and grabbed the arm. Ignoring the pain as the blade cut into his forearm he shoved his attacker away with all his might, earning another deep cut right across the back of his hand. The commando fell and rolled expertly, getting back on his feet in a second but as he turned his foot caught on the tripwire.

The claymore mine which was taken earlier by the fireteam was repositioned on top of the tunnel. The blast was directed on top of the tripwire, sending 600 steel balls hurtling down onto the victim's head. Since the ceiling was only three metres high the blast wave sent shrapnel bouncing violently off the ground and walls.

Welkin flung himself down over Aika to cover her from the shrapnel. Herbert had managed to duck back just in time. Alicia and Faldio covered their ears as soon as the mine went off. Taking their hands away they squinted into the dust from the explosion. Both of them nearly wretched when the puddles and splashes of human remains across that entire section of tunnel became visible.

At that moment Avril charged through past them, ignoring the gore and firing her MP5 submachine gun at the next commando to emerge from the side tunnel. Turning around briefly she called to them, "Go help Welkin, I'll keep them pinned this side."

With that she pulled a grenade out of her vest and tossed it down the tunnel while Alicia and Faldio ran over to Welkin.

"How is she?" asked Faldio, drawing his pistol and firing down the tunnel. A helmeted head disappeared around the corner when the bullets struck the wall, throwing up small clouds of dust.

"Still breathing. Alicia can you apply ragnaid?" asked Welkin.

"Here, it should do for now, we need to get Aika to the infirmary," said Alicia as she opened the capsule and applied it to the skin just to the side of the injury. "Any exit wounds?"

Welkin half flipped her gingerly. To their relief there wasn't, even more encouraging was her groan in response to the movement.

"Doesn't seem like she's gone into shock yet," said Welkin as he and Alicia held up Aika between them.

"I'll cover you!" Faldio shouted, standing up and walking backwards slowly as his friends bore their injured comrade away.

To the side Avril and to Faldio's surprise, Herbert was still holding off the enemies in the side tunnel.

"Avril! Herbert! We're falling back!" he called to her.

"Got that!" she replied before lobbing a stun grenade and joining Faldio with Herbert.

* * *

Alan had just finished wrapping up the briefing when the sound of an explosion from the inner depths of the firebase shook dust from the walls and ceiling.

"Alright! Let's go!" Largo took control immediately and the others followed his lead, rushing out the door.

"Hey! Wait!" Alan called out but Largo and his followers had left.

Alan and the Kiwi grabbed Nadine, Salinas and Wendy before they could leave.

"Don't pick the main tunnels. If Largo isn't careful he's walking into an ambush," Alan said urgently to the Gallians.

* * *

In his office in Ft Amtriain General Devsky sat in an armchair in front of a fireplace. He'd burned the forged letter of authorisation that Colonel Jessop had returned to him after completing the preparations for that evening's operations.

The phone rang just then but Devsky didn't pick it up. After a few seconds the caller left a message.

"Saric here, we're watching the mark. He's at the Evans Continental. Just give us the word."

The general checked his watch. At least fifteen minutes before he would know.

* * *

Largo and Rosie were leading the rest of the Gallians when a smoke grenade suddenly bounced loudly down the sloping tunnel.

"Take cover!" shouted Largo as soon as he spotted the muzzle flashes appear in the smoke.

Rosie who was caught in the middle dropped prone and sprayed, aiming below the flashes. She heard a scream and a pair of bodies rolled down the slope. The firing ceased and there were a couple of indistinct shouts beyond the smokescreen.

"After me kiddos!" Rosie called behind her.

As she advanced into the smoke, firing with controlled bursts she shouted, "Counterattack into the smoke! Push them back!"

Just as she reached the top of the slope she found herself facing a pair of tunnels, one in front and the other to the right. Suddenly two shots rang out, one coming from each tunnel. Rosie screamed as one caught her in the thigh and the other knocked the air out of her lungs, just below the sternum. She felt herself being dragged back into the safety of the smoke screen and then a hand checking the chest impact.

"You're damn lucky that one got you in the armour," said Largo. He turned to Ramsey, "Get a tourniquet around her leg and take her back to infirmary."

"Don't go too far ahead. This is nothing, I'll be joining you in a sec," said Rosie, reaching around for her med kit. She stifled a cry of pain as she raised her injured leg to get it off her belt.

"Clearly not," said Ramsey, opening her kit and applying the tourniquet before grabbing Rosie's arm and pulling her up.

Largo had charged out into the clearing where Rosie was ambushed. Edy came up from behind and immediately checked the side tunnel.

"Nothing here," she reported.

"Alright, keep moving but stay frosty. Some of these tunnels turn back on themselves," warned Largo.

He advanced forward into the tunnel ahead while Edy went the other way. As he passed a vestibule in the darkness off to the side a hidden commando reached out. Largo tried to gasp as a hand clasped over his mouth. As he felt a cold hard blade beginning to saw at his neck he grabbed the hand holding the knife and twisted. The blade flashed in front of his eyes, scraping his chin before clattering to the ground. The commando having underestimated the lancer's strength kicked Largo in the back of one knee and shifted his arm to his neck to put Largo in a chokehold.

"Arggh!" With a cry the lancer leaned and pivoted on his collapsing knee, throwing his attacker over his shoulder.

Spotting his pistol on the ground, Largo dived for it but the commando had drawn his and was pointing it straight at him. Fortunately for the lancer, he was cut down by a volley from Edy.

"See, I can do Rosie's job just as well," she said, smugly.

"Hey thanks," panted Largo, getting up and glancing briefly at the uniform on the body. "Watch those shadows; these guys aren't your run of the mill Imperials."

* * *

Squad 4's convoy stopped in front of the checkpoint. Wavy sat in the jeep at the back of the column with a very resentful Cezary Regard. At the front the Gallian and American lieutenants dismounted their vehicle and approached the sergeant who was manning the checkpoint earlier that afternoon.

Wavy pulled out a pair of binoculars and scrutinised the guards. He recognised the same man who denied him and Ellet entry.

"Cezary, cover them."

The sniper looked up and replied, "What? The heck are you on about?"

"You heard me. I want you to cover them with your rifle," Wavy answered, still peering through his binoculars.

He couldn't hear the conversation but the conversation was very animated.

"Forget it; why should I take orders from the likes of you? Even if you are a corporal."

Wavy sighed and reached for Cezary's rifle but the sniper snatched it back.

"If you insist," he said venomously, pulling the covers off the scope and chambering a round.

Through the scope he zeroed in on the guard who appeared increasingly agitated as he was cross examined by the Squad leaders.

Meanwhile Wavy answered the radio in the jeep.

"3-4 here, what is it Ringmaster?" he said.

"We're picking up foot mobiles just to the north of your position. Be warned, it looks like-."

Suddenly at the checkpoint the two lieutenants pointed drew their pistols and pointed them at the sergeant. Before either of them could fire the sergeant acted, firing his pistol from the hip into the belly of the Gallian twice before putting a double tap into the American's chest followed by one to the head. All of this occurred in one and a half seconds.

A quarter second later Cezary fired, hitting the shooter through the heart.

"What the hell's-?" Wavy shouted but Cezary had jumped out of the jeep.

Suddenly the right side of the convoy was peppered with gunfire as the G-ISD assault team lying just behind the sand dunes opened up.

"Ambush!" shouted Hectory Calvey from one of the trucks as the Squad piled out of their vehicles.

Wavy dived out of his jeep just as a hail of bullets shredded the seat he was occupying. He felt two of his fingers dislocate painfully as he slammed onto the dirt road, hardened by the cold. Squinting through the blur of the pain Wavy saw Cezary crouched nearby, picking off the shooters on the dune.

As he shouldered his rifle Wavy realised his index and third finger were bent out oddly at the knuckles. Holding his breath, he grabbed hold of his dislocated digits but let go as soon as he tightened his grip. Panting and holding out his injured hand at a distance he felt around his webbing for his emergency ragnaid capsule.

Looking around the only person he could see was Cezary who was still firing away.

"Hey help me out here!"

"Just wrap it and shoot with your left hand!" the sniper shouted without looking at him."

* * *

Alicia and Welkin had carried Aika back to the infirmary when they ran into Rosie and Ramsey. Isara and the medics were helping treat the wounded being brought back. A few regulars were on hand to provide assistance as well. The noise of gunfire could be heard echoing loudly through the base.

"What happened at your end?" asked Welkin as he laid Aika on one of the beds.

"Imps ambushed us in one of the tunnels leading to the artillery pit. I think that's where they entered," said Rosie through clenched teeth as she sat down on a crate.

Welkin pulled out a map and marked the approximate location on his map.

"Ok sit tight, we'll handle this," he said. He sat down quickly and drew a few arrows to indicate the possible paths the enemy could take.

Alicia leaned in and added a few more arrows and said," They can come in the front so we shouldn't move Marina and Catherine."

"Is the door to the motor pool shut?" Welkin asked as they broke into a run towards the armoury.

"I'll get my gun and check on it."

* * *

Meanwhile Alan and the Kiwi were heavily engaged alongside Nadine, Wendy and Salinas.

"I'm outta grenades," shouted Salinas after checking his pockets.

Nadine rummaged through her backpack and tossed him another. "Make good use of it. That's my last."

Salinas nodded and threw it down the tunnel.

"Frag out!"

Alan watched it bounce and hit the ground before an arm reached out tossed it back. Wendy saw it too and fired. A scream of pain could be heard as the arm retracted, missing a hand.

"Cover!" shouted Alan, ducking back.

The Kiwi fired off a burst from his SCAR-A1C (carbine variant) before the bolt clicked on an empty chamber. He cursed before asking Nadine, "Don't happen to have any 6.8 do you?"

"I don't carry that type around, sorry," she replied after coughing from the dust.

"Sounds like they're closing in," said Alan.

Sure enough they could hear cautiously footsteps advancing down the tunnel. Alan looked over at Wendy, wondering why she wasn't firing.

"What are you doing?" he asked when she opened a half full coke bottle.

"Making a grenade,' she answered without looking up. "Cover me."

"Right..." Alan turned to the Kiwi. "Got three for my UMP, how bout you?"

The NZSAS commando pulled out an M3 shotgun and in his native accent drawled, "I like to keep this for close encounters."

Alan rolled his eyes as reinforcements in the form of Vyse turned up.

"What's going on here?"

"Probably five just behind me."

Vyse peeked around the corner and ducked back as several bullets whipped past. "Ten metres and closing. Are we going to charge out or have we got a better alternative?"

"Both actually," said Wendy, holding up her MRE bomb which was beginning to bulge. "Now cover your eyes and noses!"

"Stack up!" Alan pointed to the side of the wall. They all did with Wendy at the front, followed by the Kiwi and Vyse who jostled to be second.

Wendy juggled her improvised grenade which was growing hotter by the second before shouting, "Fire in the hole!"

She threw the bottle around the corner. The ISD pointman caught the bottle in his hand after it bounced off the wall.

There was a loud pop followed by agonised screaming. Alan shouted "Go!"

Wendy, Vyse and the Kiwi slid around the corner. Shots and more screams were heard just before Alan and Hermes followed. Three ISD commandos lay with holes of varying sizes puncturing their bodies. There was a strong scent of chilli con carne and cordite in the air.

* * *

The commander and his remaining three men had managed to slip past the patrols. If memory serves the Tactical Operations room just past the junction he was covering. He checked his watch. Only six minutes until the jammer outside detonated. He'd lost a lot of men for the mission but destroying communications was vital for the mission's success. Two more were headed for the motor pool to prevent anyone from escaping. Even if he was outnumbered only he had a working long range radio to summon help. Snapping his fingers twice he pointed to the darkness where their objective awaited.


	16. Out of the Frying Pan

**Oh my gosh I'm so sorry for breaking my promise and neglecting this story. For a while I've been choking on the worst case of writer's block until I found the inspiration to write for other things. I'm reviving this fic as of today now that I've got this chapter done and over with. I'll be working on the chapters for my stories one after another so updates will take some patience but they'll be consistent. **

* * *

A lone unmarked car stopped at a checkpoint within Randgriz harbour that evening. Normally the whole port would be bustling with activity but with the war it was only running at 30% capacity. Imperial vessels which didn't leave before the invasion had been impounded and their crews detained. Already there were two scuttled Imperial wrecks which had yet to be towed. The Gallian Coast Guard and Naval Reserve personnel on foot and patrol boats guarded the docks, patrolled the waterways and inspected the docked ships. All ships entering and leaving were also scrutinised by boarding parties. Docked at the far end of the harbour very large cargo ship, the MV Carpathia, the largest in the Federation merchant fleet. Two days ago it had arrived in port with the intention of unloading surplus military equipment and in return for a major ragnite shipment from Gallia's southern mines. The exchange was controversial but Prime Minister Borg had convinced the national parliament that the trade was fair, especially in light of his efforts to bring align Gallia with the Federation against the Empire.

As the car approached the monstrous ship, its bow opened downwards, revealing a ramp which extended onto the dock. As soon as it had entered, the ramp retreated and the bow shut, devouring the car. The interior was pitch black. Suddenly there was a flurry of blue dots which clustered upon the occupants inside. With a nod from the passenger sitting shotgun, the driver flicked the car headlights on and off twice. To their collective shock, they saw themselves staring down the cannon of an armoured vehicle briefly before they were plunged into darkness again.

A female voice called out from a megaphone somewhere in the dark. "You may exit slowly but keep your hands up and where we can see them!"

All four men complied, opening the doors slowly and stepping out carefully onto the unseen ground. At that moment the lights inside the ship's hull flickered on. Parked directly in front of the car was an AMZ-26 Badger infantry fighting vehicle. On top of its turret which mounted a 30mm cannon there was a strange mirror like device enclosed in an armoured swivelling frame.

The men then squinted up to see a dozen armed soldiers above on the catwalk to either side. All the soldiers wore Urban Storm camouflage battledress of the elite European Federation Enforcer Corps Kommandos. Their camouflaged helmets were an evolution of the SPECTRA helmet which provided 180 degrees of coverage to back of the head and neck. Some jokingly noted how closely it resembled the Star Wars Imperial Navy helmet. It was no joking matter that the advanced body armour suites were on par with those issued to the JSF.

"Stand down."

Obediently the soldiers relaxed, standing at port arms. Jean Townshend, ambassador extraordinaire and plenipotentiary of the Atlantic Federation huffed at the indignity of the affair as he lowered his hands. The woman who was calling the shots stepped out of the shadows. She was of average height but had a swimmers physique which befitted her role as a maritime special warfare operator with the Enforcer Corps Kommandos. A navy blue beret sat atop her auburn hair which was done in ponytail.

"I'm Captain Emma Bonnet." She saluted before continuing, "I apologise for the inconvenience your Excellency but operational security is paramount. As you may know, we're still at war with the Americans."

"Very well then," the ambassador conceded reluctantly and said, "I suppose you have a place where we can discuss the upcoming operation safely?"

"Of course, right this way please."

The ambassador and his two accompanying aides followed the captain while the driver remained with the car. The maze of cargo containers within the main holding section of the Carpathia were actually containerised housing units for an entire platoon of Enforcer Corps Kommandos. As they passed each one they swore they could hear muffled conversation or clinking from the inside.

"Don't mind them. If Lieutenant Koenig had his way he would have led you in blindfolded," the captain commented lightly.

Townshend would have bristled but instinctively he knew the captain could rub him out if she felt it was necessary for the mission to succeed. Or worse, recommend his return to the Atlantic Federation. Now he, Jean Townshend, the alpha dog of the Foreign Ministry was no longer in charge of what could potentially be the Federation's most important acquisition of the century.

Bonnet stopped in front of an unmarked cargo container. It was virtually identical to every other they passed on their way here. After giving a series of coded taps on the correct side and at the correct height above the floor, the door swung open to reveal a Kommando holding a metal detector wand. The interior was spartan, consisting of a wooden table surrounded with chairs and a projector screen on the interior of the container door on the other side. There were already two Enforcer Corps officers sitting inside.

Townshend almost objected to the security check but in the end, at the firm insistence of his aides and the captain, relented. Short of his cane sword, the ambassador took a seat while Bonnet opened a folder and passed out copies of the plans to everyone inside. Turning the page, Townshend saw the first set of blueprints for Randgriz castle.

* * *

Alicia gently wedged open one of the double doors to the motor pool. Her foot poised over the threshold, she stopped when she saw heard two men conversing.

"_I thought all the regulars were up fighting the Imperials_," she thought, standing stock still. She cautiously entered and peered around a stack of barrels. "_Their accents are definitely Gallian_." Just as she caught a glimpse of their uniforms they moved out of sight.

She stifled a gasp and took a step back but as she did so, the door made a loud creak.

"Someone's here," one of them muttered.

Alicia backpedalled, bringing her rifle to bear on the half open door. For a minute all she could hear was the tattoo of her own pulse. Her breath formed wisps in front of her face from the light far down the tunnel behind. All of this was broken by the noise of something small hitting landing on the sandy ground in front of her.

Suddenly Alicia's retinas and eardrums were subjected to a brutal assault of light and sound as the M84 flashbang went off. Her finger pulled the trigger but the bullet went wide as the door burst open. Blinking the out the white from her vision, her eyes cleared as she saw the barrel of a pistol slam into her forehead before everything went dark.

* * *

Welkin had left the infirmary with Theold when he heard the sound of footsteps. Faldio and Avril had remained inside to render first aid.

"Halt! Identify yourselves!" he called out, raising a submachine gun and watching the shadows flit across the tunnel wall.

"Friendlies!"

Alan, Largo, Edy, Salinas, Wendy, Nadine, Vyse and the Kiwi came into view. Relieved, Welkin lowered his weapon.

"You guys good?"

Alan nodded as he approached and asked, "Anything new?"

They all started walking down the tunnel towards the aforementioned cave, keeping their weapons up and their noise to a minimum.

Welkin answered, "We cleared checked all the tunnels. The regulars have everything else under control. The sergeant in charge told us he'd lost contact with some of the men he sent to guard Ops. This all seems like a sabotage operation by Imperial Special Forces."

His US counterpart nodded solemnly. "You could be right. Claudia was sent as a runner from Marina and Catherine. Nothing going on at their end though they thought they heard an explosion from the motor pool."

That caused Welkin to stop in his tracks.

"Something wrong boss?" asked Largo, who almost bumped into him from the unexpected halt.

"Alicia went in there alone," Welkin answered slowly.

Everyone went silent at that.

"Should we split up then?" suggested Vyse.

Squad 7's commander didn't answer for a moment before Largo took him by the shoulder and shouted, "Keep moving guys!" He then said quietly, "Look boss. We can all split up for this."

Welkin nodded, turned and said to the group, "Alan, take Largo, Edy and Wendy to check Ops. The rest of you with me to the motor pool."

Largo sighed and said, "Right then boss."

Alan scowled but ignored the comments and replied with an affirmative to Welkin's instructions.

He then turned to the Kiwi and said, "Switch weapons."

With a nod, the Kiwi turned over his M3 shotgun and received Alan's UMP with his remaining clips. Unfortunately they dropped many of the shells as the Kiwi tried shrug off his bandoleer of shells."

At a fork in the tunnel they parted ways with one tunnel heading up and the other remaining level.

As Alan's group went up an ascending tunnel, Largo said to Alan, "Better watch your fire in there. Don't wanna break the radios or your computers now do you?"

He looked pointedly at the shotgun in Alan's hands.

"Can you do better with that pistol of yours?" retorted Alan in an even tone.

Largo scoffed and replied, "I may use the lance most of the time but I'm familiar with all weapon types because I'd tried them all in the last war. A shotgun may knock them back good but you won't want any of those fragments in your radios."

Alan sighed and said lamely, "Bit late now don't you think?"

"All part of the learning process."

Everyone went prone bullets flew down the slope. The sound of something small and cylindrical rolling made everyone's heart stop.

"Fall back!" shouted Alan.

He and Largo waited for Wendy and Edy to slide down first before they followed. The grenade explosion shoved the two of them over onto their faces.

"You okay there big guy?" asked Wendy, helping Largo up while Edy did the same for Alan.

"I'm good. It just knocked the air out of my lungs," the lancer grunted, picked up his pistol before pulling the slider and letting it snap back to get rid of any dust.

Edy noticed the hole on Alan's back and exclaimed, "Hey! You're injured! Where's that useless Homer when you need him?"

Alan reached around and felt the piece of shrapnel which had embedded itself into the back of his tactical vest.

"It's ok. It only hit the armour."

Meanwhile Wendy leaned back in and fired a burst up the tunnel only to duck back as the enemy above returned in kind.

"Any ideas?" asked Largo. "We can't toss grenades since they'll only roll down or the enemy will throw them back at us."

Alan brushed the dust from his hair before crouching and leaning out. "I can see them up there with night vision but it looks like they've set up sandbags. We can't hit them with what we've got now."

"What about these?" asked Wendy, stripping the covers off a pile of crates.

"Alright, Edy hold them here but don't use up all your ammo," said Alan, rushing over to join him and Largo who were prising open the crates.

"These are lances," said Wendy in disappointment, "We can't really use these."

"This one will work but I need it to land in the exact spot." Largo lifted out a mortar lance and fitted on a warhead while ominously adding, "Or else we'll get a cave-in."

"How's things going there?" Alan called back.

"Swimmingly," she replied sarcastically, "I tried my best but I'm down to two mags. Got spares Wendy?"

The shocktrooper nodded and tossed Edy one of her. Largo peeked out and studied the tunnel ahead.

"Too dark. If I fire and the round hits the roof then it'll be catastrophic, if it's short then we've got no more," he said after to Alan after ducking back.

He asked, "What do you need? Covering fire?"

Largo nodded and added, "Some lighting will help as well."

"We got glowsticks but they'll make you a target," argued Edy.

"Hence the covering fire," Largo replied, hefting the lance.

"Not good enough," added Wendy as a new noise made itself heard over the gunfire. "Sounds like they've got a machine gun up there."

They all turned to Alan. "If you have an idea let's hear it."

* * *

Nadine, Salinas, Vyse and the Kiwi struggled to catch up with Welkin as he led the way to the motor pool. Gunfire echoed from the tunnels behind which probably meant the other group had encountered resistance. He could see the double doors in front opening as a darkened silhouette half stepped out. Before Welkin could open his mouth the person had spotted him and disappeared, slamming the door shut. Welkin hit the door with a painful thud to his shoulder.

"Hold on a sec!" panted the Kiwi, skidding up and crouching next to him. "Cover the door. I'm going to see what's on the other side.

While Vyse, Welkin, Nadine and Salinas trained their guns on the shut door, the Kiwi threaded a snake-cam under the door. On his PDA he saw one man directly on the other side, about fifteen paces away, covering the door. He twisted the fibre optic cord and saw one man sitting in a jeep, attempting to start it. There was another standing over what seemed to be a body.

"Who is that?" Welkin asked slowly, looking over the Kiwi's shoulder.

"Let me check."

He zoomed in, switching on the directional microphone attached to the end of the snake-cam. After that he could see a familiar mop of brown hair partially covered by a cloth.

"How long will it be before you're done?" asked the commando standing near Alicia's unconscious form.

"Nearly done," the other replied, opening the bonnet of the jeep.

"They'll be through the door in any instant. Get that thing fixed, kill her and let's be on our way."

Welkin looked up from the PDA at to his squadmates. They all knew the urgency of the task at hand.

"Ok, twelve o'clock, one and one thirty," the Kiwi muttered, checking the positions of the enemy. "Alicia at one. All of you got that?"

They all got into position. The Kiwi, being the CQB specialist was first in line by the door, followed by Vyse, Salinas and Welkin. Vyse pulled out out a wad of C4 and threaded it with detcord and a detonator with instructions from the Kiwi.

Once that was secured over the lock, Vyse with detonator in hand said, "Fire in the hole."

An explosion blasted the lock out, allowing the Kiwi to slam it open with his shoulder. Immediately he peeled right, ignoring the first guard who was stunned and firing first at the commando who had his gun trained on Alicia. The man's upper body twitched from a burst of gunfire. Vyse who was right behind him charged left, firing at the commando the Kiwi had ignored, knocking him clean off his feet. Salinas went right like the Kiwi and then Nadine entered, following Vyse's lead. The four of them then fanned out across the room, heading along the walls for the corners. Welkin who was last in ran straight for Alicia.

"Clear!" shouted Vyse, followed by Salinas and the Kiwi.

Their lieutenant kicked away the gun of one of the dead commandos before he reached Alicia.

"Cover the front approach and that door!" he shouted, "And one of you check for any signs of sabotage!"

"Got it!" The Kiwi snatched an M240 from the MULE's weapons cache and dropped to his stomach. He proceded to survey the desert outside with the assistance of nightvision provided from his C-C monocle. Welkin and Nadine had their medical kits out and were busy trying to wake Alicia up.

Vyse was guarding the door they'd come through while Salinas hunted around the motorpool, angrily saying, "They'd better not have touched the Edelweiss."

* * *

"Do you need any more calibrations?" asked Alan, inspecting the very rudimentary mount for the spare AN/PVS-14 night vision sight on the mortar lance. "I reckon we should substitute the duct tape with a tactical rail next time."

Largo rolled his eyes as he raised the lance to his shoulder and peered through before saying, "Yeah, it seems to work fine."

What he was about to attempt was daunting. He would have to fire the mortar lance his shoulder up the tunnel. It was awkward and there was little margin for error because of the tunnel height and the fact that he only had a single round to fire. Even worse, the plan called for Alan to throw a flashbang up the tunnel as a distraction while Edy and Wendy suppressed, ammo permitting. That left a very limited window of opportunity for Largo to aim and fire.

"Need your pistol!" Wendy called, "Mine jammed and Edy took the last of my Mags ammo."

Largo pointed to his pistol belt. The shocktrooper scooted over and whipped it out before rejoining the fight.

Alan pulled a flashbang from his vest. "It's now or never."

Largo nodded and counted down loudly, "Three… Two… One... Mark!"

Alan turned the corner and heaved the stun grenade as far up as possible while Wendy and Edy took aim and fired, trying to keep the enemy down. Once he'd thrown it he ducked back along with the shocktroopers. Once the earsplitting blast was over, they resumed firing while Largo threw himself forward into the tunnel and dropped to a knee. Through the night vision sight he could clearly see the enemy positions with a machine gun mounted over a small sandbagged wall at the top. It took less than a second for him to find the perfect angle and fire. Once he'd done that he turned and rushed back into cover, not waiting to see if it'd hit. The resulting explosion shook the tunnels, dislodging rock and dust. Not waiting for it to settle, Alan charged in with the shocktroopers close on his heel.

The badly wounded commando leader systematically pulled out each pin of all his grenades as he stumbled back into the cave with the radios, computers, maps and planning table. He'd just witnessed the last of his men being torn apart by the mortar blast. Only one G-ISD man other than himself remained and he was still daisy chaining the explosives in the room. The man had his back turned and was working on the charges when he was suddenly propelled forward by a shotgun blast. Deprived of hearing from the explosion, the leader turned to see three of his countrymen and women enter, led by an American holding the smoking weapon. Numbly, he pulled the pin from the last grenade and lurched towards the communications gear. He stumbled into the map table, turning it onto its side as he felt his legs shatter from the impact of the same shotgun.

"Cover!" Alan and Largo shouted, pushing the girls back and slamming the doors when they saw the bundle of pins fall from the dying man's fingers.

* * *

At the same time the jamming device outside exploded, shutting down the communications dead zone. Squad 4 from the ambushed convoy was still pinned down behind their vehicles, most of which were smouldering. The ISD ambush force had suffered casualties and run out of grenades and lance rounds too but they had the higher ground. What was worrying their team leader was the time it was taking to dig out the Militia. From what they'd been briefed, they were all supposed to be pushovers but they'd held out, surprisingly well at that. As communications was restored, he ordered them to flank and destroy the remnants immediately.

On the ground meanwhile, Karl Landzatt jumped when he heard his backup radio start up. The problem was that it had fallen into a bush and the truck he was sheltering behind was a good piece of cover he didn't dare leave. He glanced surreptitiously back at the slope where he was sure one of the enemy snipers was waiting.

"You going to get that or not?" Wavy asked Karl the same question he was asking himself.

He was a jeep as cover which just behind the truck where Karl was. The most of the rest of their comrades were strewn throughout the immobilised vehicles.

"Y-Yes," he stammered his response before grabbing a discarded rifle and trying to reach the radio in the bush with the stock.

"Stop." Wavy suddenly instructed. "Put that away."

"Ok ok." Karl dropped it.

"Sniper, seven o'clock of your position if I'm correct," said Wavy, looking up at the bent side mirror on the jeep door he was leaning against. "If he sees that radio being dragged out he'll blast it to oblivion. You'll have to get it yourself."

The engineer looked visibly upset as he replied, "Then he'll blast me to oblivion."

Wavy reloaded his rifle and stared at the sniper again with the mirror. "We're dead if we don't. I'll cover you."

"Just you? How much ammo do you have?" Karl stared at him in disbelief.

"Barely enough." The former schoolteacher only had one more stripper clip for his rifle.

Karl shut his eyes and muttered a short prayer before saying, "I'm ready."

"Good. On three… Two… O-"

Gunfire from both ends of the convoy erupted, cutting into the remnants' flanks. Wavy spotted two men running and firing and Karl was between him and them.

"Get down!" he shouted, raising his rifle.

To his surprise, Karl had already dashed out and reached the bush with the radio. Regaining focus, Wavy fired twice but missing. Both of the enemies ducked behind cover. Loud panting indicated that Karl had returned successfully.

Handing him the radio, Wavy started speaking immediately, "Ringmaster this is Corporal Wavy of 3-4 we were ambushed about thirty minutes ago and lost communications immediately after that. We could really do with some assistance here. Hostiles are all over us."

"One step ahead of you 3-4, we're already choppering in several units to your last known location. ETA is any minute now," replied Ringmaster soothingly.

"Choppering?" Wavy didn't understand until he heard the thuds of helicopter blades slicing through the air as four V-25 Goshawk helicopters approached from the horizon.

Two peeled off, heading straight for Firebase 23-Golf. One hovered overhead and fired its side and nose mounted miniguns at the ISD troops. 20mm high explosive rounds shredded the sand dunes where the snipers lay and then the roadside where the commandos were caught in the open. The firing ceased almost as quickly to avoid hitting the Gallians. The other Goshawk landed, opening its rear ramp and disgorging a JSF rifle platoon to deal with the stragglers.

* * *

"Is that all of them?" asked Welkin, watching as the JSF troops brought in the last body bag.

Squads 1 and 7, along with their advisors lounged outside in the early morning sun as the JSF secured the firebase and policed the scene.

"Just about," replied the JSF captain in charge.

Welkin noticed the bloodstains which covered the man's uniform and asked, "Messy?"

The captain nodded, not really paying attention before saying, "I need to speak with your advisor. Where is he?"

Alan heard this while he lay against a rock with his boonie hat covering his face. He waved and went over to the captain who beckoned for him to walk with him.

"This doesn't happen to be yours?" he asked once they were out of earshot.

The captain held up a black monocular scope, one which could be fitted onto a helmet or mounted onto a weapon.

As Alan regarded it curiously, the man said, "We found a few of these on some of the bodies inside and at the other Squad's ambush site."

Alan looked up and answered, "No, I recall using anything like this."

They came to a halt before the captain said, "Well it's our equipment for sure and so is this."

He lifted up a square tarpaulin sheet which concealed the mangled, twisted remains of what looked like an antennae mounted on a tripod.

"The last thing we need is for something like this to come between us and them. Do you understand?" the captain continued sternly.

With a reluctant sigh, Alan replied, "Understood sir," before pausing and asking, "Where do you think it came from then?"

The captain stared back at him unblinkingly before saying, "Frankly I'm just as stumped as you are. The J2 will want to see this. In any case, you're dismissed. Rejoin your unit and get your new orders."

"What was that about?" asked Welkin as Alan returned, looking fairly distracted.

"Huh? Oh nothing really important," he answered, a little too abruptly before changing the subject. "How's Alicia coming along?"

Welkin looked at him strangely, "She's fine and conscious. You asked me twenty minutes ago."

As Isara passed she commented, "You're even more spaced out than my brother."

Ignoring her, Alan asked, "Have you checked with Varrot and Torres about our latest orders?"

"Yeah they did but I'm having a little trouble using the computer where they've sent it," said Welkin, leading his counterpart away to a recently erected tent.

The medical tent which had been set up in the morning darkness was empty after repeated casevac flights. Aika and Rosie had made a quick recovery and both made it abundantly clear that they didn't want to leave despite the insistence of the US medics. Homer was far more seriously injured from a rockfall so he'd gone. The walking wounded treated their injuries themselves or with the assistance of the medics. The regulars who were unlucky to take the first guard shift had taken the brunt of the casualties. If it hadn't been for the fact that the militia had already been in combat they would have been the ones on guard duty first.

Nearby, Faldio addressed his squad with Avril assisting.

"It seems Lieutenant Dolburn has been able to rustle up some air transport for us," Faldio announced, "Ok you may start."

Avril stepped forward with an easel and a board which had pictures of a V-25, its interior and its weapons.

"What you're about to experience in less than an hour's time is flight," she began. "Any questions before I get stuck into it?"

Squad 1 began murmuring amongst themselves excitedly as Avril gave them a brief rundown of its capabilities and some safety tips.

"I'm feeling sick already just looking at it," muttered Ted, averting his gaze from the board. "And I'm not joking this time."

"Wanna swap seats?" Melville asked Nils who still had a bandaged hand.

"Yeah sure," he replied slowly. He was more interested in testing his fine motor skills by flipping a coin over his knuckles.

"Maybe we can bug Welkin or Alan to get us a ride like that?" Claudia suggested to Edy who was sitting slumped against her large back pack.

The girl was very much down after seeing Homer in such a bad state. The medics reassured her that they'll be able to meet up again at Ft Amtriain later. At that moment, the young engineer had already flown out with the most seriously injured.

"Did you two hear the news," asked Jann, settling down between the two girls.

"No, did something happen?" said Claudia, shifting slightly so Jann could sit more comfortably.

"I was just talking to one of the American medics while I was getting a couple of nasty splinters dug out of me," the lancer answered, rubbed his back gingerly. "She told Squad 4 was ambushed. Almost completely wiped out save for ten people. That didn't include their commanders."

The engineer clapped her hands over her mouth. "My gosh! So many lost?"

Jann shrugged and went on, "It's going to take too long to get the Squad up to full strength so they're disbanding it."

"And you always whinged about your luck," added Edy morosely, surprising the two of them.

"That's seriously uncalled for," said Jann after staring at her for a moment.

"No it's alright. She's just upset about Homer," Claudia interjected. "Maybe we should give her a bit of room."

Welkin returned to the Edelweiss where Isara and Alicia were waiting.

"So what's happening now Welkin?" Alicia asked. The bruise over her eye had faded considerably since last night.

"We've got orders to return to Ft Amtriain by this route," answered Welkin, holding up a datapad for them to see.

"Hey I know how to use one of those. Avril taught me yesterday!" exclaimed Isara when she recognised the handheld device.

"Well you're probably better at this than I am. Alan just gave me a crash course a few minutes ago," said Welkin, leading them over to the side of the tank.

He placed the datapad on the front of the tank. Both girls leaned over on either side to see.

"You know, just a map would do fine here," said Alicia, squinting as the sun shone off the screen.

"Oh ok. Here. Better?"

Welkin moved the pad so it was out of direct sunlight. Alicia smiled to show her approval as she studied the map on display.

"This is the route we're taking."

Welkin traced the path which ran south and then west. It was within an area enclosed by a dotted red line.

"What's that meant to mean?" Isara queried, pointing it out.

"That's the region previously occupied by the Empire as of 72 hours ago. Latest intel says that they'd been slowly drawing down their presence there and only within the last 12 hours did they accelerate their withdrawal with Russian logistical assistance."

Alicia frowned at this. "What are they trying to do?"

The lieutenant shrugged. "Beats me. It's mostly forested down there so they could easily have left people behind to waylay units like us."

"Why would we be sent into danger like that?" asked Isara, patting the tank in concern.

"That's where I've got some good news. We're going to link up with a joint regular-JSF patrol who will be heading east. With luck we might just muddle through," reassured Welkin, tapping the datapad which revealed a picture of an M5A2 Schwarzkopf main battle tank.


	17. Forest Woes

**I'd like to express my gratitude for F-14 Tomcat Lover who has been providing some invaluable assistance for the story. **

**With VC3 in the works I might have to rewrite a few chapters once I get the full gist of its story. Undoubtedly you might recognise some similarities between Squad 422 (The Nameless) and the Intelligence Support Division. A difference being that ISD includes hardcore criminals and mercenaries reprogrammed for black ops missions. Some of the crimes which the Nameless members were charged seem pretty BS according to the wiki page.  
**

* * *

Ellet entered the morgue tent shortly after the last of the G-ISD commandos' corpses were removed from the firebase. She gagged upon opening the flap, not from the expected stench of rotting flesh but the highly pungent odour of disinfectant. A humming portable air conditioning unit hummed in the corner of the tent which was lined with bright white body bags. With great care she checked the label on the zipper of each one and examining the corpse inside, occasionally looking over her shoulder at the front tent flap when she thought she heard footsteps. The flak vest given to her by Avril, the woman with Squad 1 lay discarded on the ground as Ellet found it uncomfortable after crouching over each bag. That reminded her to speak to the Americans attached to the militia units present before they left. Already she could hear the loud thudding of helicopter blades from a helicopter outside. Hurriedly she continued to search until she found the right bag. She quickly uncapped the lens on her camera but realised there wasn't enough light in the dimly lit tent. Quickly she grabbed the flak vest off the floor and propped it up against the rear tent flap, letting some morning sunlight in. Then she had to drag the body bag over to the patch of light. The unexpected weight almost made her stumble. After a few quick snap shots of the tent interior, the body in the bag, a close-up of the face and then several tattoos on the neck. Satisfied she moved the body back where it was, snatched up the flak vest and exited through the rear flap.

* * *

As Squad 1 began boarding the Goshawk helicopter, Faldio hung back and beckoned over to Alan and Welkin.

"Once I get back to base my tank should be fixed and ready to go. It's been a pleasure working with you two so good luck!" he shouted over the roar of the helicopter.

"We'll see you back at base then!" replied Welkin, squinting to keep the billowing sand out of his eyes.

Alan shouted back, "Have a good trip! We'll see each other again!"

They briefly saluted before the Squad 1 lieutenant turned and ran to the rear ramp of the Goshawk. Once he'd strapped himself in, the crew chief handed him a set of headphones which connected him to the cockpit.

"Hey there Lieutenant," a strangely accented voice spoke.

Faldio looked to his left to see the Kiwi sitting next to him.

"Oh good morning, umm Sergeant Martin I believe?" he answered tentatively.

The Kiwi nodded and said, "Just call me the Kiwi. Everyone does that."

"Ok Kiwi. I thought you were with Squad 7," said Faldio, a little puzzled.

The Kiwi shrugged and replied, "Well all I know is that Captains Torres and Varrot told me I've been transferred to your unit as of 0800 this morning."

Outside, Avril was just about to step onto the ramp when a hand fell onto her shoulder. Spinning around, she saw Ellet standing before her.

"Yeah what is it?"

"There is something I think you and Lieutenant Landzaat should see before you go," she shouted, jerking a thumb towards the morgue tent.

Avril frowned at the journalist and looked back at the Goshawk before answering, "Look, I really don't have time for this right now! Maybe if you can show it to the lieutenants at Squad 1!"

Ellet opened her mouth to argue but Avril shook her head and said, "Hold onto that. Maybe we can talk when things settle down a bit." She tapped the flak vest in Ellet's hand before running up the ramp into the helicopter.

* * *

General Devsky heard the news before anyone else. A typed report arrived at his office detailing the raid failure in the early morning. Once the JSF had gotten word of the attack there was little he could do other than to cut off his most vulnerable loose end. Colonel Jessop who had organised the raid would be found later that evening in his hotel room at the Evans Continental. His half naked body lay in a bathtub of bloody water with his wrists and thighs slashed to the bone. With the copious amounts of alcohol he'd been seen drinking the night before at the hotel bar the Randgriz Metropolitan Police intuitively concluded suicide; unsurprising given the victim's occupation and the situation on the front lines. The coroner's report would lead to the same finding, the Gallian Military Intelligence Section would make sure of that if it didn't. As for the Militia which were caught up in this affair; they'd have to be kept busy on the frontline. The upcoming delegation from the Atlantic Federation would shake things up too.

* * *

At the disembarkation point which consisted of a row of trucks led by the Edelweiss, Welkin and Alicia were prepping the Squad. Meanwhile Alan was trying to get the turret and driver cameras on the Edelweiss synched with his cross-com monocle.

"Ok try it out now," Isara called from inside the tank.

Alan who sat on the turret switched on the mini-camera inside his cross-com and looked over at Welkin before asking, "Ok what can you see what I'm seeing?"

"That's my brother, Welkin," she replied, watching the flat computer screen next to the periscope viewing box.

"Ok. Let's try the reverse now."

Isara then pressed a few buttons on the screen which gave her the video feeds from the two cameras on the tank. One was placed on the barrel, another was on the turret and the last was right next to her driving periscope.

"Can you see through each of the cameras?" she asked loudly.

Alan heard her and switched the cross-com feed so he could see through each camera on the tank.

"Yep, barrel cam and driver cam are working. Turret cam..."

Using his wrist mounted PDA he swivelled the camera on the turret a full 360 degrees.

"That works too. Ok good job."

He tapped the metal hull twice and jumped off to meet with Welkin and Alicia.

"Well everyone's here and ready to go," said Alicia, dusting off her hands.

"Have you finished with whatever it was you were doing?" asked Welkin, waving a hand towards the tank.

Alan nodded, saying, "Yeah, I've completed a basic shared-viewing link between myself and the Edelweiss. I should be able to see what you and Isara can see and you can do the same with me."

Curious Alicia asked, "So it's only you with your equipment who can do this?" She pointed at the cross-com monocle which was folded to the side of Alan's face.

"Yes. Anyone who was the right gear can do the same. Hence a single soldier can share his vision with everyone else in his unit as well as artillery or tanks."

"Sounds like a hive mind from a bee's nest to me," said Welkin as he climbed onto the turret of the Edelweiss. "I'll lead the convoy as usual. You two get ready to go."

"Got it."

As Alan climbed into the driver seat of the truck behind with Alicia riding shotgun they heard a someone shouting at them.

"Hey wait a second!" Ellet called out, stopping at Alicia's door and stopping to double over.

"Oh, Miss Ellet. What are you doing here?" asked Alicia, leaning out the window. "I don't think you're supposed to be tagging along with us for the trip back."

"There's something at the morgue that you really ought to look at-"

She stopped for a second as the engines of all the convoy vehicles started up.

"Looks like your problem's being taken care of!" Alan shouted back over the din.

He pointed at the morgue tent where a newly arrived convoy of trucks had arrived. Quickly a squad of masked JSF soldiers dismounted and entered while a sentry detail stood guard.

Ellet's face fell as she watched the body bags being brought out before continuing, "Look, I need to speak with Lt Gunther when you get back to Ft Amtriain."

Alan and Alicia looked strangely at the reporter before the driver behind honked the horn.

"Get Welkin to call me as soon as he gets back. He knows where to find me!" Ellet called out as their truck rolled forward, leading the rest away from Firebase 23-Golf.

* * *

The occasional bush and shrub which dotted the sandy dunes and bare plateaus of Barious eventually became more numerous as the sun traversed west. The convoy covered a lot of ground despite the delays caused by the checkpoints. For Alan it was tiring and he wore yellow tinted ballistic glasses for the drive. No such luck for Alicia who shifted her red handkerchief over her eyes and leaned back to rest.

"Since when was Ellet on a first name basis with Welkin huh?" Alicia wondered aloud. "She'd just interviewed him once on at Vasel… Come to think of it he's been going to visit her office quite regularly."

Alan glanced over and saw her pouting under the handkerchief.

"She's a journo so I guess it'd help if she got to know her regular interviewees well. In any case it'd make sense to be on top of developments on the front line," he reasoned.

Alicia sat up and uncovered her eyes before saying, "Well there are plenty of other people she can talk to. Does it always have to-"

She stopped when she realised that Alan was looking at her strangely.

"Alright… I can see where your line of thinking is going. If you're that worried just go along with him."

Alicia nodded and said, "I was thinking of that too. Maybe I should… but then what will everyone else think?"

"Well… that will be a problem if your Squad gossips," said Alan after a pause. "Look, better you ask someone else because I'm certainly not qualified to advise you on such issues. If it's something like network centric warfare then that's a different story."

* * *

The squad got their break in the middle of the forest. The bulk of the Imperial forces had made a hasty withdrawal east but everyone was on guard. Reportedly there were some units which had stayed behind, concealed deep in the forest, hoping to deceive any scouts in order to lure in larger formations. Squad 7 was a tempting prize indeed. The JSF wanted the area secure before they could move in a mobile tactical uplink unit. To Squad 7 all they needed to do was link up with the friendly patrol and check if the Imperials or Russians are truly gone.

Largo and Rosie had their doubts, the former more so. To assuage his doubts, Welkin had deployed in a defensive perimeter while the vehicles refuelled and the Squad members got to stretch their leg.

Welkin and Alicia had managed to find a cliff a couple of hundred metres away from the camp which would also make a good concealed observation point. A fair distance away from the edge, Largo, Isara and Rosie were on a lookout with the tank.

"No hint of any Imperials so far," Welkin commented, pulling out a pair of nightvision capable binoculars.

Peering through it he gasped, "Wow this is so cool. So this is what it's like being a cat at night. I can so totally go prowling after dark at base with these."

Alicia rolled her eyes and said, "Don't get ahead of yourself now. If you lose it we're all going to cop a pretty serious reprimand from Torres." She frowned when she realised Welkin wasn't listening. "In any case there's no way you're going near the female dorms with that thing at night. And no renting it out to anyone else either."

A slight whistling noise made Largo look up. His cigarette dropped from his mouth as he shouted, "Get back!"

In a heartbeat a mortar round landed between Welkin and Alicia and the rest. The portion of the cliff on which they stood slid off. Once the dust had cleared, Isara, Rosie and Largo stared where their lieutenant and sergeant stood.

"There must be a spotter nearby, probably on the other side," warned Rosie, her gun up and ready.

Largo muttered a curse and said, "Alright, we'd better get back and warn the others. We'll have to move since the enemy are sure to come and check if there's more of us."

They looked up to see Alan followed by Hannes and Knute.

"What happened," asked Knute, unslinging a medical kit. "Anyone hurt? Where are the Lieutenant Gunther and Sergeant Melchiott?"

Largo shook his head with a scowl before pointing at Alan, "They're gone. We gotta go."

"Wait, what about-?" Isara argued but Largo cut her off.

"We can't do anything now. You're the only one who can drive the tank so if we lose you too we're all dead!" snapped Largo, beckoning for everyone else to go.

Alan was left standing there for a second. He looked forward to the cliff where Welkin and Alicia once stood before turning back to the retreating figures.

"Hey! Do you guys even know where you're supposed to be going?" he shouted after them.

* * *

Welkin and Alicia lay sprawled separately at the bottom of the cliff. For a while the sound of gunfire and explosions went unnoticed above them. As soon as it had dissipated Welkin regained consciousness. Sitting up, he spotted Alicia nearby, partly covered with rocks from the collapsed cliff nearby. Dusting himself off, he stood up and carefully walked over to Alicia and carefully shook her awake.

"W-Welkin?" she murmured, sitting up and looking around. "Where are we?"

"It looks like we've fallen down that cliff after the explosion," said Welkin, looking up. "It must have separated us from the others."

Alicia followed his gaze up the ruined cliff which was impossible to climb before saying, "So how do we get back to the Squad?"

The lieutenant sighed and said, "The cliff's too dangerous for them to descend. I'm guessing there'll be Imperials closing in on us so I wouldn't be surprised if the Squad had to withdraw."

Alicia nodded and said, "We'll have to make our own way back then."

She tried standing but as soon as she applied her weight on her right foot she winced and had to lean on Welkin.

"I think I sprained my ankle from that fall," she muttered before taking her arm away and added, "I should be fine for now but I'm going to be limping the whole way through."

Welkin handed her a rifle before checking the clip in his own.

"Well I'm afraid we'll have no choice. We'll have to move together."

"No don't let me slow you down," said Alicia quickly.

Welkin smiled and replied, "Nonsense. So long as we aren't spotted we'll get through this."

* * *

Edelweiss had taken a severe battering before Squad 7 had found a reasonably good defensive position. Although its main gun was offline without the commander, it shielded the trucks as the Squad retreated further down the road. In pursuit were dozens of Imperial soldiers, some of them wielding lances which would have taken out the trucks. To make things worse there was mortar fire harassing the Squad, forcing the troops to take cover in the trees off the road. There was a brief lull in the fighting in which the Squad dug in around the tank. They'd reached the point where the road turned west towards the capital. The pursing Imperials from the north had withdrawn out of weapon range but a quick scan with nightvision optics revealed that they were holding position as though waiting for something.

"Lieutenant Reyes. Your orders?" asked Largo as everyone else got into position for the next onslaught.

He, Isara, Rosie and Alan were all in the operations tent where Alan had set up a collapsible touchscreen surface. It had the dimensions approximating a coffee table and was ruggedised for military use. Pensively he drummed his fingers on the surface, zooming in and out of the map much to Largo and Rosie's irritation.

"I'm thinking," Alan responded before questioning Isara, "How soon before the Edelweiss will be in satisfactory condition?"

The young tank driver shrugged and replied, "It might take until morning. All the other qualified engineers are working on it already. We've ground its treads bare from the high speed transit earlier today and we need to replace some of the armour plating. It could take until daybreak if none of us sleep."

Rosie and Largo looked at each other in concern. From the looks of it none of the Squad would be getting another decent night's sleep again.

"I think sending some of the scouts out to look for them should do," suggested Largo. "Anyways, Marina and Catherine have sharp eyes. They'll spot anyone coming towards our position long before they drop dead."

Rosie shook her head, not noticing Alan opening his mouth.

"You make it sound like we've got scouts to spare. Alicia's one of the best and now she's gone. Hermes was on the verge of being flown out this morning. That leaves Aika and Montley. They can't do it themselves," she said.

"Leaving them out there isn't an option though. In any case that patrol isn't going to get to us in time. We're dead meat out here. It'll only be a matter of time before the Imperials or Russians move their mortars into range. I say that we use the element of surprise reengage where they least expect," countered Largo, jabbing at the spot on the touchscreen with his cigarette. "The tank may not be able to fire but it makes a damn good bullet shield. A diversionary force led by the tank will draw their attention. We can flank the positions where the enemy have dug in here an-"

"Hey!" Isara and Alan both called out at the same time.

"Excuse me, adults talking here," retorted Rosie, looking over her shoulder.

"You got something to add Lieutenant?" asked Largo slowly, staring at Alan intently.

"Yeah. First don't dirty the screen."

He wiped the cigarette ash away before bringing up a tactical map of their position and the enemy positions.

"I know it's tempting to go on the offensive and defeat the Imperials but we know next to nothing about anything else that's out there," reasoned Alan.

"Well staying here will only mean we're a target for their mortars," retorted Rosie.

Their mortars cannot fire through trees though. The terrain is pretty bad for mortars with the uneven, soft ground and the tree canopy so they'll be firing from a predetermined position. Chances are they already know where we're sitting it's just that they're out of range from their particular spot."

"That's a whole lot of conjecture but go on," said Largo gruffly, gesturing with his cigarette.

"It they are going to attack, they'll wait for the mortars ideally or tanks. The latter is unlikely as they're extremely difficult to hide from us."

Rosie snorted and asked, "How are you so sure?"

Alan tapped the touchscreen and brought out several aerial recon photos in black and white.

"See this here. These boxy white shapes are vehicles. Out unmanned drones can detect the electromagnetic signature of a tank, circumventing the problems with thermal detection where tanks can be shrouded."

Largo and Rosie stared at him, the former saying, "You're making even less sense than the boss now."

Alan sighed and held up his hands.

"Alright. Bottom line is that there aren't any tanks hiding there. You'll have to trust me on this okay?"

The two older squad members exchanged a sceptical glance before Rosie said, "Well then, wether or not you're wrong there's still a sizeable Imperial force out there. Stay put, counterattack, send a search party or retreat?"

"We can at least three of those," answered the lieutenant, much to everyone's surprise.

Rosie sighed and sat down, saying, "Another imaginative plan like the boss huh?"

"Not so much imaginative as it is suicidally dangerous," answered Alan, "I'll go out there and look for them myself."

"Now this is where I see a problem," growled Largo. "Technically you're in charge now. But then if you go off on your little romp and die we're dead. There's only one of you. What can you do out there?"

"If you're wrong there's still a high chance you'll die anyway. There's only one of me. What can I do here?" countered Alan.

Largo smiled grimly and said, "You're the one who's giving the orders. With you around at least we can put up a fight." He didn't sound like he meant it though.

"Ok. Well that's Welkin's job now isn't it? Without his tank he can't issue his orders. I can do everything from here."

Alan walked over and picked up his tactical vest, wrist PDA and cross-com monocle.

"You and your toys again?" sighed Rosie.

* * *

After the planning Alan was suited up and ready. As he left the tent with Largo, Rosie and Isara he could feel the eyes of the Squad on him. With a sharp whistle from Largo, everyone fell in.

"I'll need three volunteers with me," the JSF lieutenant announced, knowing that he didn't need to explain any further.

There was a great deal of murmuring amongst the Squad before two stepped forward. Vyse and Aika.

"No surprises there," muttered Rosie to Largo, "Trouble makers."

"Good enough," said Alan before turning to Isara and saying, "Instruct the engineers to prioritise the engine. I may need to see what is actually going on from the Edelweiss's cameras so don't move the tank unless absolutely necessary."

He looked back up at the Squad and said, "Okay, I want everyone to be able to evacuate with the tank at a minute's notice in the event you're overrun. I'll be able to relay orders to you in a similar way when Lt Gunther was in the Edelweiss. Hopefully there will be friendlies arriving down the western road."

He pointed and continued, "I'll try and get your commander back in time. Do your best to hold out until then. With the tank operational we may be able to break the remaining Imperial presence here. Good luck to all of you."

Once he was done everyone started chattering and started walking away to perform their tasks.

"Well we'll see yet if your idea of remote control leadership will work," remarked Largo.

Comments like these from the lancer had been getting on Alan's nerves for a while so he turned and said evenly, "I know what you're thinking. If this all works out there won't be any more of this second guessing from you two I presume."

"What are you proposing?" asked Rosie.

"I know Welkin's the boss. He had to do some insane stunt to retake the Vasel. It worked and you put a hundred and ten percent consistently afterwards. When he's around he's still the boss. Numero uno. And I have to put in my hundred and ten when he tells me what to do. But when I make a reasonable suggestion or order after this you'd better carry it out."

"Oh?" Largo raised an eyebrow.

"With a shit eating grin," Alan went on.

There was silence before Rosie chuckled and said, "Pretty high stakes game we're playing. Price of failure?"

"Humiliation won't cut it here. I doubt I'll be alive to experience whatever it may be," answered Alan.

Largo nodded and looked down at Isara.

"You heard that?"

She nodded.

"Alright then. We won't be going anywhere," said Rosie.

After the exchange Alan met up with Vyse and Aika by the ammo tent where they'd finished packing for the upcoming operation.

"Privates Inglebard and Thompson right?" he asked tentatively.

"Yep. But just Vyse will do," the shocktrooper replied, rubbing his glass eyepiece.

"And call me Aika as well."

"Ok. I haven't really worked that closely with you but weren't you injured the last night?" questioned Alan as he went inside the tent and beckoned for the pair to follow.

"Umm… Yes that's correct," said Aika, a little embarrassed. "I'm feeling much better now. I wanted to make up for the fact that I was back at base during the desert battle and then I was incapacitated last night."

"Well ok. It's going to be risky out there. Just saying."

They all knew what an understatement that was as Alan picked up his weapons with flash and sound suppressors. It was then that Vyse brought up the uncomfortable fact that they were one person short. Reluctantly he called everyone to attention again.

"Ok. I said I needed three people earlier. Only Vyse and Aika are here. Do the math," he announced to the gathered Squad.

There was a scuffle at the back and the Gallians parted way as Marina was shoved forward. Furiously she glanced over her shoulder at the people who'd volunteered her. The shoulder patch beneath her rank insignia told Alan she was a sniper though he'd forgotten her name.

"Alright meet up at the operations tent. The rest of you carry on."

As they walked back to the tent Alan whispered to Vyse, "Who's that again?"

"Corporal Marina Wulfstan. The only other sniper besides Catherine," he whispered back. "Keeps to herself most of the time so no wonder why she didn't step forward on your first request."

Vyse turned when he felt Aika tapping on his shoulder. She jerked her head towards Marina who was following behind them to the left. Rightly suspecting that she was the subject of the whispered conversation, the sniper didn't look pleased at all. Wisely, Vyse decided not to speak any further.

* * *

Inside, introductions were awkwardly made. Sensing the impatience from the three Squad members, Alan got straight into the planning. Traverse down the steep slope east of their position and advance parallel to the northern road towards the estimated location of Welkin and Alicia. Failing that follow any leads and report any hostile units in the area. Ideally if the enemy were still searching that could mean that the missing Gallians hadn't been captured yet.

"Anything you'd like to add?" asked Alan, looking up from the touchtable at the other Militia around him.

Marina shook her head and said, "Nothing. I think my contributions would have been the same as any one else."

Aikia and Vyse gave the same response before Marina was able to get herself kitted up.

"Now all of you listen. You may be in charge Lieutenant Reyes but if you want to survive to see first light you will do exactly as I say," warned the sniper once she was done. "The same to you two."

Aika and Vyse both voice an affirmative but she but a finger to her lips.

"Don't make unnecessary noises. Use hand signals. You should be able to see them with your…" Marina struggled to find the right word.

"Night observation devices," said Alan, "You can see in the dark with those. These infrared strobes will identify you as friendly."

He pointed to the small mobile phone sized devices on Vyse, Aika and Marina's webbing. To his surprise Marina handed him her NVGs.

"I don't need this."

Alan held up the goggles and said doubtfully, "Are you sure?"

The sniper sighed and said reluctantly, "I see better in the dark than other people."

"If you insist."

* * *

A little later the four of them had left the camp and were trudging through the uneven forest floor to reach the slope. The descent was tricky mainly because of the large rocks and roots where it was tempting to securely plant one's foot before reaching the next foothold. Unfortunately that raised the serious risk of slipping and spraining or breaking one's ankle or leg. The NVGs were quickly stowed away for their downward passage. Although they were a considerable improvement over earlier generations they still cut down depth perception and peripheral view.

* * *

"Feel better?" asked Welkin once Alicia had put gingerly relaced her boot.

"Yeah. A bit. The ponisera stings as first but it doesn't hurt so badly now," she replied, grabbing his outstretched hand in order to stand upright. "Thank you Welkin."

The Squad 7 lieutenant smiled and held up some of the crushed remains of the glowing blue herb.

"Let's keep going. We shouldn't dally about. With luck we can find more of this plant along the way," he said, beckoning for her to follow.

As they continued on slowly, moving through the thick vegetation just parallel to a rough path, Alicia said, "Do you reckon the Imperials can follow us through all this?"

Welkin thought about it as he bent a tree branch out of the way and allowed Alicia to go through before letting go and allowing it to snap back into place.

"If they're as skilled as Marina we might be in trouble. I don't doubt the Squad is looking for us as we speak," he answered.

"Let's hope we find each other first," said Alicia.

The thudding noise of helicopter blades made them both look up worriedly.


	18. Bugs 'n' Stuff

**Hints of WelkinxAlicia and VysexAika here but the former is pretty much canon isn't it? Once again I don't own anything of Valkyria Chronicles or Tom Clancy's Endwar.**

* * *

"You hear that?" said Marina, looking up.

The sky and the moon could just be seen beyond the tree canopy but everyone heard the helicopter as well. The four of them had just touched the bottom of the hill and were advancing along a dirt road north.

"Yeah. Helicopter inbound but it's not one of ours," said Alan, remembering that Torres had warned they would be without air support for the mission.

"So can we take it down?" asked Vyse excitedly.

Alan shook his head and replied, "No. That'll give us away unnecessarily. Besides we lack the ordinance to take it down anyway."

He'd considered carrying a Stinger with him but given its weight and length it'd only be a hindrance. Besides it'd be a dead giveaway to any ground forces.

"Well if it's not one of ours then we'd better hurry," said Aika.

* * *

The Mil Mi-17 Hip activated its main searchlight and began its sweep through the forest. The orders from the local Imperial commander were to search for any straggling enemy units in the forest and to either capture or kill them. Unlike their more modern cousins, the Hip was expendable; a dinosaur which faced extinction after Russia's era of oil booms and rearmament in the 2010s. The few issued to the Imperials had the bare basics and lacked thermal imaging devices which was vital for operations like these. The pilots however were rookies; Imperials trained intensively at Wroclaw by the Russians. With limited resources, there were at least two crews to a helicopter. One for day and another for night ops, the latter got a pair of night vision goggles. A Russian engineer kept an eye on the systems while the passengers, consisting of a squad of sharp eyed Imperials kept a vigil through the windows. One of them manned a searchlight mounted PKP Pecheneg machine gun at the side.

"See anything?" asked the co-pilot, not taking his eyes off the radar, hoping against hope that enemy aircraft weren't in the vicinity.

"Nah, these goggles are near useless," complained the pilot as he struggled to see the ground through his NVGs as he steered the helicopter along its patrol path.

* * *

"Over here," whispered Welkin, dragging Alicia behind a wide tree trunk as the two searchlights on the helicopter activated.

They both held their breaths as one of the lights swept over the trees where they hid. Frustratingly it hovered over in the same spot for a while before it moved along. It was a few minutes before the two of them emerged from hiding.

"They probably didn't see us. If so then they'd have either shot at us or radioed in the mortars," said Alicia, looking to the sky where the helicopter was last heard.

"Yeah. Let's keep moving before they come back," said Welkin, bringing up his rifle before seeing Alicia stumble. "You okay there?"

She leaned on her rifle before gingerly stepping forward and saying, "Yeah. It's better than before but still tender so I still won't be able to move very quickly.

Still concerned, Welkin asked, "Are you tired?"

Alicia shook her head.

"Alright then. I don't hear anything like gunfire. We must have a lot of distance between us and everyone else. That river to our left must be the same on the map which runs north-south. If we follow it we should be able to find the bridge for the road about two and a half klicks before it turns west."

Welkin pulled out a compass and map while Alicia flicked on a torch. The two of them leaned over the map, both to see what was on it and to prevent the light from being seen. Alicia then realised how uncomfortably close Welkin's face was.

"Uh, can you umm…" she said slowly.

"What?"

Welkin leaned forward only to lightly bump her on the forehead.

"Oh sorry," he apologised, startled.

"No no. It's my fault," Alicia said at the same time.

* * *

"Shit!" swore Vyse as he tumbled head over heel down another slope.

Fortunately it was relatively smooth, no trees or rocks except for long soft grass. However it was out in the open and Aika, Alan, Marina and Vyse stuck out in the dark like sore thumbs.

"Should have taken the roundabout route," the sniper muttered, ignoring Vyse's groans of pain while Aikia slid down and helped roll her friend over.

To her right, Alan struggled to keep his footing on the grass. The dew which was forming made it very slippery under everyone's boots while it made the surfaces of their guns slick and slippery. It was important that they kept their hands on their weapons to avoid unnecessary noise or leave unnecessary tracks as they moved about.

Down towards the bottom they could just make out the tinkle of water from the moonlight. That meant they were nearing the river parallel to the northern road. The four of them reached the bottom of that slope and continued across the fields next to the river. Quickly, Marina identified the tree line a hundred metres ahead which they should reach as quickly but quietly as possible.

"Alright. Corporal Wulfstan and I will keep overwatch while you two head up three metres left of that post, forty metres straight ahead," instructed Alan to Vyse and Aika.

They both nodded while Alan and Marina got ready, raising their rifles and covering them. With a tap on the shoulder, the shocktrooper and the scout then dashed low through the grass towards the spot indicated by the JSF officer. Through his monocle, Alan saw the pair, lit up with bright infrared strobes through his HUD reach their destination waypoint which was denoted by a blue ring. Using his PDA, he moved the waypoint approximately eighty metres ahead of his own position, directly in front of where Vyse and Aika were situated. Meanwhile, Marina was scanning with her scope mounted rifle, occasionally checking behind them.

"Bounding, cover us," whispered Alan over the radio to Vyse and Aika's earpieces in front.

"Rodger. Got you covered."

Alan tapped Marina on the shoulder and pointed to the spot from his HUD before the two of them made a low run over to the waypoint. They passed Vyse and Aika before they hit the ground and lay there for a second, waiting for someone to shout a warning or fire a shot. Satisfied they both stood up on their haunches and looked back towards the field where Vyse and Aika were. They had almost reached the safety of the trees; all that was left was to the cover the two of them as they made a break for it.

"Shit. That flying contraption from earlier is back. Coming in from the north," reported a startled Marina.

Vyse and Aika faltered but Alan instructed, "Keep going for the trees. We've still got you covered."

As the pair sprinted for the forest, the Hip came buzzing over the hills from the north. Its two searchlights switched on as it swooped in towards the edge of the tree line where Marina and Alan were stationed.

"We can see it coming. You'd better get over here pronto," said Aika who was hunkered behind a fallen tree trunk next to Vyse in the forest.

It was too late as the helicopter stopped above the patch of ground between Alan and Marina and the safety of the trees.

* * *

"Do you see anyone in that field?" the pilot called to the gunner in the side.

He replied with a negative as he swung the PKP about and swept it in arcs down the field. Below them, Alan and Marina lay, partially hidden by the grass. However as the Hip lowered itself closer to the ground the grass began to billow, threatening to expose the two of them. Inside, the co-pilot was listening to orders from the local commander while checking the instrument panel. Once he was done he tapped the fuel gauge in warning.

The pilot nodded and said to his passengers, "We're almost bingo fuel so playtime's just about over. You've orders to resume searching on foot before regrouping with the main force at 0300. Confirm with the captain once you're on the ground."

* * *

"Oh no," muttered Alan as he and the militia watched the Hip descend and its rear ramp swinging open.

The swirling air blew away the grass it touched down, leaving Alan and Marina exposed to the door gunner. On the other side, Vyse and Aika, unsure but unable to fire, watched as the dozen or so Imperials piled out the back. It was then that the gunner saw the two figures in the grass about fifteen metres away. Through her scope, Marina saw him turn and shout a warning to the pilots.

Alan also saw him while zooming in through his monocle before he gave the order to his allies, "Open up!"

The gunner fell back from a bullet which exploded through his neck. With only a little momentum lost, the high velocity bullet ricocheted about the metallic interior, startling the engineer with a grazed leg before embedding itself into a seat cushion. Hurriedly, without bothering to close the ramp, the pilot drove the helicopter up for safety, almost making the engineer stumble out the back, much to his indignation. As the Hip moved up, Alan quickly pulled out a vaguely pistol shaped device while Vyse and Aika both fired on the helicopter, intuitively attacking the main rotor and the tail. This stymied its progress but wasn't enough to take it down. As a final measure, Alan threw an EMP grenade at the smoke trailing Hip just before it powered away. The electromagnetic energy it released was enough to fry the unprotected circuitry in the helicopter's outdated electronic suite as well as any other unprotected electronic devices onboard.

* * *

"Hold her steady," roared the Russian aboard, rushing forward to the cockpit. "We can still get out of here but we won't be able to hail anyone."

"We lost navigation," bemoaned the co-pilot, gesturing towards the blank instruments panel. "And we've lost the lights and nightvision as well. The rotors don't sound too great either."

"Then we'll have to guide us back the old fashioned way," said the engineer, crouching next to him while unfolding a map and flicking on a torch.

* * *

No sooner had he seen the brilliant pulse engulf the helicopter had he turned his attention back to the Imperials. Caught out in the open between the militia, they quickly attempted to advance up the hill to his left.

"Corporal. Bear east to the top of that hill as I draw fire," he instructed to Marina. "Do it fast before they beat you to it." To Vyse and Aika he commanded, "Hold position and keep firing."

Marina nodded and made a break for the hill overlooking the long grass where the squad of Imperials lay. The pair in the tree had difficulty spotting them in the grass since the helicopter was gone so they were content to fire wherever they saw muzzle flashes.

"Only fire on the large and bright flashes. Marina's on that hill to the east," said Alan, firing his flash suppressed rifle at where he suspected an Imperial was earlier before rolling over.

"Got it. We'll watch our fire," replied Vyse, before firing a burst at an Imperial who'd stuck his head up to throw a grenade.

He got the guy but the grenade sailed through the air and landed just in front of the log where he and Aika were hiding.

"Get back!" he shouted, shoving the scout away as the grenade glowed a bright blue and exploded.

From the hill, Marina tagged the soldier she presumed was the last. Frustratingly, her rifle jammed on her despite meticulous and frequent maintenance. As she attempted to correct the fault she spotted someone standing before making a break towards the river.

"Lieutenant Reyes. Runner going west for the river. I see a radio on his back."

Alan peeked up and saw the trooper with the bulky radio pack.

"I got him."

Alan pulled the trigger and three tracer rounds came out which just barely missed the guy. That meant his magazine was empty. Quickly he let it drop into his free hand before stuffing it into an empty pouch in his pocket and pulling out another. He'd suspected that it was uncomfortably light and his worse fears were confirmed when he realised he'd mistakenly loaded an empty magazine.

The runner was almost there. Giving chase, Alan allowed his SCAR to hang from its sling. The adrenaline allowed him to ignore the nauseating pain when the rifle's barrel smashed into his groin as he landed after leaping over several rocks. Never taking his eyes off the target, he drew from his thigh holster his M9 pistol and aimed it towards the Imperial who'd slowed as he reached the water's eadge. Alan shouted a warning but saw the rifle in the soldier's hand come around as he began to shrug the radio off his back. A double tap didn't fall the man; one to the side and another to the back as the man spun. As Alan took aim for the head, the Imperial radio operator staggered sideways into the fast moving water. The JSF officer heard the man scream out from the pain and cold as his head broke the surface while he was swept downstream towards the north.

* * *

"Heard anything from 15th Platoon?" the Imperial Captain asked after he surveyed Squad 7's makeshift defences through a pair of Russian supplied NVGs.

His radio operator who'd been caught napping earlier in his tent replied, "No sir. No word from, their helicopter, Kite 2 either."

The Captain sighed before turning his attention to the stream of wounded and dead returning from the latest assault against the Gallians. To rub salt in the wounds, the Gallians were identified as Militia and nary a sign of any prized JSF officers. If there was one thing he hated more than throwing lives away for no good reason, it was butting heads against an unsympathetic colonel who was probably safely enjoying vodka with his Russian counterpart. He'd found a good, hard and level spot for his mortars but then they'd been snatched away by his superior, citing fears of attracting American helicopters. That was after they'd been ordered to encircle and destroy the meagre Gallian presence in the forest. Confused and frustrated, he and his Russian partner stewed quietly in their command tent, helplessly awaiting a reply for more support or preferably a withdrawal order.

"I need to get away from this madness," he muttered under his breath before saying aloud, "They'd better be here before 0300."

* * *

"It's shallowest over here," said Welkin after examining a branch he'd dipped into the river, "I don't think we'll get swept away if we lose out footing on these stepping stones."

Carefully, he took a step onto the first tone in the river while Alicia watched concernedly from where she sat.

"Oh boy it's slippery," he exclaimed, holding his rifle horizontally between his hands for balance.

"Maybe it is best if I just hop across."

He peered at the stones in front before saying, "Nah… Too rough or slippery."

"Hello Welkin. Have you forgotten that about me?" called Alicia, waving at him before pointing at her sprained ankle.

They'd found more ponisera along the way which helped Alicia a great deal. She was almost able to walk normally though not without a stumble here or there or a crippling shot of pain occasionally if she applied too much weight.

"Oh. Then uh…" Welkin looked around uncertainly before saying, "Alright. We can move along this bank before we meet the bridge."

Alicia shook her head, "No. It'll probably be too well guarded. It'd be better if I just waded across. Maybe you can get to the opposite bank first and throw me a line."

Welkin looked genuinely shocked at the suggestion.

"But then haven't you forgotten about your foot? I mean even if you won't get swept away you're risking further injury," he argued.

"Have you got a better idea then?" asked Alicia, "I told you if I get hurt that's alright. I recover faster from injuries than most people and my ankle's feeling better."

Welkin carefully stepped back over and said, "Ok. Then I'll carry you across."

"What? Don't be silly now."

It was Alicia's turn to be shocked as Welkin stopped in front of her and held out his hands.

"Come on. I won't use the stepping stones. I'll wade across the river. I did say it was the shallowest point didn't I?"

In the darkness Alicia couldn't help but blush a little before saying, "You don't want to get a cold now do you?"

"Why? You suggested wading across yourself," the lieutenant countered, chuckling.

Alicia crossly answered, "Hey! I rarely get sick either."

After they bickered some more, Alicia finally relented, though she absolutely refused to be carried in the fireman's position.

"I do need to go across with some dignity," she reasoned as she was carried, piggyback style across the river.

* * *

"Everything okay there LT?" asked Aika as Alan sorted out the magazines on his vest.

He and the militia had taken a break after trudging through the trees lining the path along the river.

"No it's alright. I think I might need another weapon," he replied, holding up a 9mm magazine for his pistol.

"What's the problem?"

Vyse trudged over and looked at the item in Alan's hand.

"9mm bullets. Tried and true sidearm ammunition. I've heard that it sometimes doesn't get the job done," said Alan, thinking back to the man he failed to kill. "I can't help but think it might be true."

Vyse nodded his understanding before saying, "Oh. Well I kinda know what you're on about. I don't really think too much about it actually. I rarely use my pistol you see." He grinned and patted his backpack before continuing, "I always have ammo to spare. Good trigger discipline and skill you see."

Aika punched her friend on his shoulder and said, "Enough bragging from you. Well maybe you should choose another gun or something. Like Marina here." She looked over to the sniper and asked, "Hey didn't you win that customised .45 pistol in a bet?"

Marina threw her a death stare before looking away and answering, "Yeah. Just a shooting competition. If you insist on inquiring further, ask Private Cezary from Squad 4."

"I heard Squad 4 was wiped out last night," said Vyse, sounding a little saddened.

"Yeah. Only a handful of survivors. Wonder what will happen to them?" Aika wondered aloud.

Alan shrugged and said, "I'm guessing they'd most likely be disbanded and assigned to other units."

Vyse and Aika both looked horrified at the prospect.

"But then… wouldn't that mean splitting people up and stuff like that?" the former asked, "That'd be a double whammy. You lose your friends in the fight and the ones who survive get reassigned."

Alan looked at him strangely before an unseen expression of resignation appeared on his face as he said, "Well I'd imagine so. But then if it does come to that stage then I guess we'd be used to it."

He and even Marina couldn't help but notice Aika and Vyse's hands inching closer together just before the conversation ended.

* * *

"Looks like I'm all out," remarked Alicia after draining her water canteen.

She and Welkin sat on behind a tree after continuing along the river on the other side.

"Want some of mine?" offered Welkin.

"No I'll be fine," replied Alicia, using her rifle to prop herself upright.

"Well we can still remedy that. We can still get water from the river if it's safe," said Welkin, going over to the river and beckoning for Alicia to follow.

"Are you sure. I mean I'm familiar with the water around Bruhl but out here…"

"Don't worry. I kinda have a way of telling if water is good or poor quality… well pollutant wise," said Welkin as he knelt over the water.

"You and bugs again?" said Alicia, joining him on the riverbank.

"Yep. If only I had a net here."

Welkin flicked on a torch and shone it into the water. He waited patiently before suddenly snatching out and grabbing something in the water. Alicia shrieked a little and reached out to grab him by the shoulders when he looked like he was about to lose his balance.

"It's alright. I've got it," said Welkin, looking a little puzzled at Alicia's flustered expression. "What's wrong?"

"Dammit don't scare me like that!" an irritated Alicia retorted, punching him on the shoulder.

"Okay okay. I'll be careful. And thanks. It's good to know you've got my back," said Welkin apologetically. "Would you like to see?"

"What?" Alicia shot back, crossing her arms.

In Welkin's cupped hands there was a slim wriggling insect of a brownish appearance.

"Stonefly nymph. They can get up to six centimetres long. They're very sensitive to water contamination. If you find these in the waterway, chances are it is clean," explained Welkin. "The water here isn't turbid either. That's probably due to the good flow."

Impressed Alicia said, "Wow. I guess I should be thanking you again."

"Don't mention it," said Welkin as he refilled his and Alicia's canteens. "Just to show you it is safe I'll take a sip from the river straight away."

He knelt down and dunked his head into the river before emerging and gargling before swallowing much to Alicia's amusement.

"Oh Welkin! You didn't need to go that far!" she giggled.

* * *

"What are you doing LT?" asked Vyse as Alan dropped a tablet into his canteen after refilling it from the river.

"Water purification tablets. Standard stuff. Kills microbes and forms a coat around dirt particles which clumps together and makes the water safe to drink," said Alan, shaking the bottle. "The only things it doesn't remove are heavy metals or poisons."

The shocktrooper shrugged before saying, "Well I haven't gotten sick from the water yet."

After reporting back to Largo with the rest of the Squad and walking for another half an hour or so the chemicals had done their work and Alan took a sip. A small filter removed the coated dirt but he didn't see the stonefly crawl into the neck while he looked away to shake the gunk from the filter. As soon as he felt that horrible sensation crawl down his throat along with the foul tasting water he threw up next to a tree to the utmost amusement of Aika and Vyse. The latter patted him on the back as he coughed over and over again. To Alan's horror, the sensation remained in his stomach. Marina sighed in frustration at the noise.

* * *

"What's this? A cottage?"

Welkin and Alicia approached the small wooden structure cautiously, keeping a lookout for any Imperials.

"Who would build this all the way out here?" Alicia wondered aloud.

"Probably used by hunters or lumberjacks on a seasonal basis," said Welkin, moving up to the door. "Well I'm not one to complain. I think we should just sleep out the night in here. We didn't get any good sleep for more than two days now I think."

"Well you're the leader," said Alicia, raising her rifle and following closely as the lieutenant gently pushed open the door with his shoulder and entering with his rifle ready.

The two of them briefly swept through the single room inside, checking for booby traps or anything remotely unsafe. All that was inside were a couple of chairs around a square table and a fireplace with a few empty crates and sacks. Satisfied, Alicia shut the door and Welkin looked out the window.

"We should be alright here. So quiet out there. I think all the Imperials must be such a long way off," said Welkin, looking away from the window.

Alicia looked down at the empty fireplace before saying, "We really shouldn't light that. Smoke's bound to attract attention. Especially if the Imperials have those flying machines which cannot really be called aeroplanes."

They both sat down at the rickety table in the middle and Welkin said, "Sorry about making you walk on that ankle all night."

"Don't be," said Alicia, smiling.

"Well now that we're here let's get a herbal compress on it just to be sure," said Welkin, taking out his medical kit from his webbing and unzipping it.

"You sure are knowledgeable in herbs and bugs," commented Alicia as Welkin united a pouch which he'd filled with various plant stems and leaves along their journey.

He spread them across the table and quickly sorted them into groups before he held up a fleshy green leaf.

"This succulent is aloe severa. The gel in its leaves can help reduce swelling."

"I guess I was right. I reckon a moniker like Dr Nature would be fitting for you," Alicia giggled as she unlaced her boot. "Okay. I'm entrusting my ankle to your care doc."

* * *

Alan eyed the small brown bottle in Marina's hand dubiously.

"What is this syrup of ipecac and how will it help?"

"It'll help with your stomach bug," she replied simply.

Vyse chuckled at the pun but Aika rolled her eyes and lightly slapped him on the back of his head. Marina didn't get it either. That feeling was still there in his stomach. Sure Alan had heard of how that F-16 pilot ate insects after being shot down over Mrkonjić, Bosnia 1995 but he had no intention of joining the Eat Bugs Club.

"Fine."

He unscrewed the top which had a dropper attached and allowed two drops to fall into his mouth.

* * *

"Okay. We're done. How do you feel?" said Welkin, tying up the pouch and closing his medical kite.

"Much better thanks doc," replied Alicia, giving him a smile. "Certainly feels cool over the spot."

"That's a good sign. The pain should ebb away. I'm glad I could be of help to you," said Welkin, leaning back and returning the smile before asking, "How do you reckon the Squad's getting along?"

"They are probably bugging Alan to find us as quickly as possible."

* * *

"F*ck!" swore Alan as he leaned against another tree and then heaved up more his stomach contents.

"Aww gross!" cried Aika.

It'd taken him five steps after taking the bitter tasting liquid before he had to run for a tree off the path.

"Syrup of ipecac. A plant root extract which contains three known emetic compounds including alkaloids," stated Marina. "A vomit inducing concoction."

Once Alan was doubly sure there wasn't anything left in his stomach he saw something shiny with six limbs wriggling about in the unseen pool of vomit at his feet.

"You can wallow about in that," he muttered, turning back to the others.

"That's some powerful shit," commented Vyse sympathetically.

"F*cking nature. F*cking bugs. F*cking syrup of ipecac."

* * *

"So what got you into nature Welkin?" asked Alicia, unfolding a compact sleeping bag from her pack next to the empty fireplace.

Welkin gave that some thought as he unfolded his on the other side.

"Good question. I suppose my father had something to do with it."

Intrigued, Alicia turned and asked, "General Gunther? How so?"

She didn't see the pained expression on Welkin's face which quickly disappeared as he answered, "We used to spend time going on trips in the mountains or swimming whenever he had time off. We'd collect any bugs that caught his or my fancy. I suppose it'd rubbed off on me."

Alicia, looking astonished went on, "Wow. I'll admit I never expected that. Who knew that he was just as passionate about bugs as you?"

Welkin smiled and replied, "Well most people see him as a stoic and a consummate professional…" He trailed off as the pained expression reappeared. "But like everyone else he's got his own troubles."

"Oh?" Alicia cast her eyes away for a second before looking back.

"My mother died in the First Europan War. One of thousands I'd imagine," Welkin continued after a sigh, "I suppose my father didn't regard himself a hero because he couldn't protect the her. The love of his life. The war won him national acclaim and respect as a hero. But at the cost of my mother."

He paused before going on, "After the war there was that question which refused to go away… What was he fighting for?"

"I'm sorry to hear."

Welkin's expression brightened as he looked out the window from where he leaned against the wall. Alicia joined him.

"When he got time off work with me he was always so happy. I guess I really started to appreciate the natural world as because it never failed to brighten his day."

There was silence between the two of them as they retired to their sleeping bags, exhausted.

"Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite," said Alicia sleepily.

* * *

**Sorry about the bad puns involving bugs.**


	19. Escaping the Snare

**Sorry about the long wait.**

* * *

"Isara, patch me through to Largo will you?" Alan requested over the radio, "And activate all the data links on the Edelweiss like before."

"Ok gimme a sec."

He heard the girl fiddling around with the controls before three audio and visual feeds from the tank appeared on his cross-com. Next the rest of the data links between him and the tank were online, allowing him to communicate to the squad.

"Potter here," said Largo. "Do you want another sitrep?"

Through one of the Edelweiss' cameras, Alan could see the lancer holding speaking on the radio with Rosie sitting nearby.

"Alright. Start from the moment when I signed off last."

Largo reported that after the last failed push which was repelled, the Imperials appeared content to wait. The Squad's defensive positions hadn't been compromised since the Imperials lacked vehicles and heavy weapons. Most casualties were due to lancer fire directed at the sandbags where most of the defenders hid. The Squad had shot off half their ammunition since the last major attack and were using up the rest to repel the occasional probe thrust by small fireteams.

"Do you reckon you can hold out till first light?" asked Alan worriedly.

"We can if we conserve our ammo. Our injured are starting to pile up. The vast majority are walking wounded but generally they're combat effective. Myself included," Largo replied. "Noce's awake but he won't stop yakking on about Alicia. Keeps blaming himself and saying this wouldn't have happened if he was conscious before that mortar strike. Salinas is down but stable and talking and Nadine's allergy's acting up again."

Alan zoomed in with one of the cameras and saw the field dressing around Largo's thigh.

"I see," said Alan. "Ok. Have you used up all our mines?"

"What few we had to begin with," the lancer answered grumpily, leaning against the side of the tank. "We had a line surrounding the camp amongst all the trees but they've all blown. We've left some trip flares as a last resort after that."

"How do you know we've exhausted them all?" asked the American, sounding unconvinced.

There was a chuckle before Largo answered, "An old ear like mine can tell apart the explosions from grenades, mortar and lances. I counted them as I heard them. Now have you got a solution since you brought up this problem?"

"We might. Look inside the armoury tent and find several boxes labelled with JSF printed on the side. If I remember correctly I unlocked them both before leaving."

Alan's Cross-Com interrupted with a discreet beeping to remind him that he'd a minute before he had to resume radio silence. Although the data links from him to the Edelweiss were encrypted it wasn't secure from the tank to the rest of the Gallians' communications gear.

"Alright. I can't talk for much longer. Listen carefully. Look for another box labelled Mk16 MGL. Ask Private Cheslock. She's already been familiarised in its use. I'll give further instructions the next time I check in."

* * *

"Finally!" exclaimed the Imperial Captain as he watched the three Mi-26 Halo helicopters approach, flare and land in the landing spot outlined with ragnite flares.

Immediately the men approached at a crouch to receive the large crates being unloaded. To his relief additional troops were disembarked as well. The Captain looked up to see one of the helicopters, hovering in a cover position with its spotlight mounted door gun ready.

He turned after feeling a tap on his shoulder to hear his Russian counterpart shouting over the noise, "There's enough room between all three to get all of us and our wounded back!"

The Captain nodded and replied loudly, "Have you heard any word from the missing platoon?"

The Russian shook his head before saying, "HQ's telling us that anyone who misses extraction at 0900 will be left behind."

Muttering an unheard epithet, the Captain licked his dry lips as he saw one of the crates spill open to reveal a pile of ragnaid capsules. As the Russian angrily cautioned the troops, the Imperial formulated his next plan of action.

"Begin our next push as scheduled. Unlike us the Gallians aren't being resupplied. Let's use some of that ordnance to smash what's left of their defences."

He nodded at the newly arrived Kord heavy machine gun being assembled off to the side.

"I'm going to see what the hell's going on with that missing unit," he said to the Russian. "You're in charge until I get back."

* * *

"We got a couple more hours before dawn," said Aika after checking her chronometer when Alan was done.

She walked over to where Vyse was dozing before shaking him awake. Alan rubbed his eyes and followed the two in exiting the clearing where they'd taken a brief rest. As the three of them continued down the path they heard a rustle to the side. Out of a tree, Marina dropped lightly before joining them.

"Nothing to report," she said before anyone could ask.

"Shouldn't we be going faster? I mean there haven't been any hints of any Imperials around here," Vyse suggested as they started walking.

Alan and Marina were both in a bad mood and tired to the bone though the sniper gave no such indication.

"We'll maintain this pace. No point in wasting our energy," replied Alan before coughing when his throat tickled again.

* * *

"Halt!" commanded Welkin, aiming his rifle at the Imperial soldier who'd just entered the cottage.

The Imperial was unable to answer as he slumped face first to the ground, apparently unconscious. Welkin quickly lowered his weapon and crouched over the prostrate soldier, noticing the injuries on his back and side.

"This looks really bad. And he's soaked too. So he's hurt and freezing to boot," he commented, lifting up the Imperial's helmet slightly and checking for a pulse.

His hand shot away in alarm when he heard the soldier murmuring weakly for help.

"Welkin, we must do something!" cried Alicia.

"Okay. We can't light a fire for heat. It might give us away. Get those sleeping bags. He's going into shock from his injuries and hypothermia," said Welkin quickly. "We'll have to undress him. His clothes are wet and I need treat those wounds.

* * *

"Looks like a cottage. Reckon anyone may be inside?" asked Vyse, removing the NVGs from his face and slipping on his unusual eyepatch while Alan watched curiously.

"Maybe. When I looked there weren't any lights on," he answered before he turned questioningly to Aika and Marina.

"We can't just ignore it. Welkin and Alicia may be inside," whispered Aika.

"I second that," said Vyse, unslinging his gun and pulling the charging handle.

"Fine. Marina and Vyse, stick to the trees and move right until you reach that far corner," said Alan, pointing to the building. "Aika and I will circle around to get to the other side. If you hear anything inside let me know. Keep the noise down too."

Everyone silently agreed and split up. Vyse and Marina reached their corner first. The shocktrooper pressed his ear to the wooden wall but couldn't hear much except for the wind rattling through several loose planks. Marina kept a lookout as usual. A few minutes later, Alan and Aika were at the opposite corner.

"Everything alright?" asked Alan in a whispered over the radio.

"Didn't hear anyone inside. If there're any occupants I don't think they heard us either," Vyse replied quietly.

"Is there a rear entrance?"

"Negative."

"Ok. Aika and Marina. Keep watch while Vyse and I go in. Vyse. Are you comfortable with NVGs yet?"

Vyse looked a little embarrassed as he answered, "Not yet I'm sorry to say. But I'm getting the hang of it. Just some more practise and I should have it pat down."

"Fair enough. Flash lights and pistols only," said Alan, "Come to the front quietly and stay out of sight of the windows."

At a crouch, Vyse edged around the side of the cottage while keeping his submachine gun tucked away to his left in case it bumped against the wall. Anxiety set in as he emerged into the pale bright moonlight at the front of the building. Looking to his right, he saw Alan with his back pressed up against the wall as he slowly approached the door with one hand holding a torch and another clutching his pistol in the Harries technique. It was obvious in the light that both of them stuck out against the wooden front wall. Soon they were standing on either side of the door frame.

"Door swings inwards," whispered Vyse, pulling out his torch and pistol and holding it in the same manner.

Alan nodded and tried to slip a snake-cam under the door but something was blocking it. He tested the door knob, only to have the rusted piece of metal fall out into his hand. Mouthing in frustration, he laid it on the ground out of the way and gently wedged open the door with a foot. There was something resisting but it was too solid to be a trip wire. The whine of the hinges made them both wince.

"Screw that. Enter and clear."

He kicked open the door and backed up so Vyse could enter, going left with his torch on and his pistol up. Alan quickly followed, going right. Inside there was an ash filled fireplace, a couple of broken chairs and an empty box which was previously up against the door but now lay on the other side of the room. Otherwise no other signs of human occupation.

"Clear," Vyse reported from the far left corner while Alan signalled the all clear to the others. "Looks like no one's been home in years. Windows intact and no bullet holes to suggest recent combat."

"Smells like the cleaner's been away too," remarked Aikia as she came in with Marina before adding, "Or is it because you just entered the room before us Vyse?"

* * *

Welkin had managed to retrieve one bullet from the wounded Imperial. The armour on his back had managed to slow it down so the wound was shallow though slightly angled which made extraction a little difficult. There wasn't any armour on the side so the wound was far deeper. From the sound of the soldier's breathing and the uneven rising of his chest with each breath it'd probably caused a pnuemothorax. That'd been treated with a sterile needle inserted into the side of the man's chest.

"He's just as young as us," Alicia repeated, cleaning away the blood from the side injury.

Welkin sighed as he wiped clean his bloody multitool before folding it shut.

"I can't reach the last bullet. Any more ragnaid will send him into shock."

"But he'll bleed to death!" replied Alicia.

"I know. But only the triplets carry IVs with them. I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do here," said the lieutenant in resignation as he finished wrapping the wounds and draping the sleeping bags over the soldier. "We can make him comfortable until…"

He faltered when he heard the Imperial soldier weakly call out, "It doesn't hurt so bad now. But it's so dark."

They both looked down to see him raising a hand as though reaching out for something or someone while his eyes were shut.

"It's so dark. I'm scared mother."

Alicia then reached down and took the dying soldier's clammy hands in her own while saying, "It's okay. Mother's here. You don't need to be afraid anymore."

"Yeah. It's feeling much better now," the Imperial whispered as more colour drained from his face.

Alicia shifted her fingers to feel for a pulse in his wrist before shaking her head.

* * *

M90 Pursuit Deterrent Munitions unlike its predecessor could be deployed from a grenade launcher up to one kilometre away. A weapon rather like the Mk16 Multiple Grenade Launcher being cradled by Wendy as she took aim and fired again with a soft thump which sounded deafening in the silence. Next to her, Catherine was spotting through a pair of binoculars with nightvision enabled. They'd set up a tactical data link between the munitions and the binoculars with some patient explaining from Alan. As each mine armed itself and activated its sensor suite it was labelled in the binoculars' field of vision.

From their OP ahead of the main camp, Wendy and Catherine had snuck almost within view of the Imperial camp before laying a few of the mines in an arc throughout the forest. It was difficult with the trees but the laser guided targeting computer on the Mk16 MGL helped tremendously. On Alan's instructions they hadn't laid any on the road yet.

* * *

Alan took the call which was datalinked from Joint Allied HQ to the Edelweiss directly to his C-C unit.

"Reyes speaking."

"This is Torres. We got your last sitrep. We discovered the source of the comms blackout which cut you off during that mortar attack. We lost several relay stations which were supposed to replace our UAV comms squadrons. They were caused by precision free fall bombs, most likely from the Russians since our AWACS birds detected a flight of Flanker-Es over the Imperial border. They must have slipped in while our CAPs were looking the other way. Real ballsy of them."

Concerned, he answered, "That doesn't bode well for us. For now where's the patrol we were supposed to encounter? We could really do with some support sir."

"ETA is two hours and that's at top speed. One of those stations attacked was adjacent to a depot where patrol Lima Romeo-2 was gearing up. They're a little shaken but mad as hell so leave some action for them.

"I'll take that into consideration sir," he couldn't help but allow the disappointment show in his tone.

"We've also got a Scryer-B being prepped. ETA one hour."

* * *

The sun had just cleared the trees when Welkin and Alicia had completed the burial of the Imperial soldier. Personal effects he had were left at the base of the rifle which they'd stuck into the ground to indicate the grave.

"There wasn't anything I could have done for him," said Alicia softly, breaking the silence which had ensued while she and Welkin were digging the grave. "He was just totally helpless and all we could do was witness his passing."

Welkin turned to face her and answered, "No. To the contrary you did help him in the only way possible. At least he passed away peacefully and painlessly."

After a moment, Alicia's face lightened a little before saying, "I guess you're right. Thank you." She paused and continued, "I suppose, as difficult as it may have seemed earlier, the Imperials are every bit as human as us. They aren't the monsters we thought they were all the time. That young man probably had a family who'll never see him again."

"I know what you mean. Once the first shot is fired, we all forget they have families just like us," added the lieutenant, his thoughts drifting back to Isara and then his father and mother who he remembered very little about.

"Speaking of families… I don't think I told you last night Welkin. I never knew about my family. The earliest memories I had were of the orphanage. They didn't know any more than I did," she said.

The disappointing and memories of the orphanage returned; the director who regretfully couldn't answer her enquiries on the morning she left for good. Alicia's next words would jolt her commanding officer.

"Come to think of it. In a way I'm kind of lucky. You can't lose a family if you never had one in the first place," she went on, looking up and forcing a smile, "I suppose that's a fringe benefit."

"Alicia. You know that's not right, nor will it ever be," said Welkin, his head turning about suddenly to face her. You're not alone. From the moment you joined Squad 7 you became part of a family. Even Alan agreed. We trust and protect each other and drop our grudges when the going gets tough. It is how the Squad survived till now."

"Well I didn't think about it that way until he mentioned it that day he joined," replied Alicia. "Even so I didn't dwell on it for long what with our next assignment pending. Tell me more Welkin," she asked, smiling.

"Sure." Welkin put on a deliberately thoughtful expression before saying, "I'm the dad. You're the mum. Think of Rosie and Isara like daughters. Largo's the grandpa and Alan's that crazy uncle no one talks about in polite company. Ok the last one's a bit harsh but you get the gist."

Alicia burst out into laughter. "If the last two heard that they'd totally own you!"

"Own?" asked Welkin in confusion.

"Sorry. Some slang I picked up from the Kiwi which roughly means beat or humiliate," she replied, "Well like you said, family and friends do fight but put aside their grudges. And where did the crazy uncle bit come from?"

"Back when I was still studying I knew a few really great people, Faldio being one of them. There was this girl whose family I got to know-" Welkin launched into his anecdote.

As Alicia listened attentively, halfway through she realised something. Here was her commanding officer who'd already shared with her his. For a brief moment of his life he knew he had two loving parents and after he'd lost his mother he'd gained a sibling. While it's true she couldn't feel the grief he'd felt, she'd never know the happiness he'd gained from years of being an older sibling. Then there was the funny story Welkin was telling her. Even though he'd dismissed the relationship with that girl as a short term thing it'd at least been something intimate however brief. At least she knew now that Welkin wasn't totally enamoured with invertebrates and fish.

"Look Alicia. Don't go and say you're all alone. We clear on that?" said Welkin after concluding the story.

She smiled back at him. "Crystal. And thanks."

Just then the two of them heard rustling and footsteps approaching. They both looked around quickly but before they could reach for their guns they saw the Imperials appear on the path in front of them. The point man saw them first and aimed his rifle at them, shouting something indiscernible. It was too late for the two Gallians. The Imperial would get the first shot off and there were more of his friends following close behind.

Before long, they were both surrounded by a six man fireteam as well as another. An Imperial Army captain as denoted by the insignia atop his epaulettes and his incongruous dark uniform. The fireteam leader, a sergeant gestured with his rifle. Without a word, the two Gallians cautiously unslung their weapons off their backs and laid them on the ground.

"Jensen. Check the hut," the sergeant ordered, "Costa, secure those weapons."

A scout stepped forward and picked up both rifles and moved off to the side while a shocktrooper, Jensen entered the cottage. Meanwhile the Captain regarded them with hard blue eyes before something caught his eye. An engineer who stood near him saw it too. With an approving nod from the Captain, the Imperial approached the recently dug grave. Crouching down, he examined the rifle and helmet, then reached over and lifted up the brim of the helmet and picked up a single dog tag. Welkin had thoughtfully left it concealed for fear a magpie might notice it shining in the light. The other was left inside the mouth of the buried soldier, between the teeth and lips as per Imperial military regulations printed on both tags.

"It's Fritz's sir," he said, walking back to the Captain and dropping the small piece of printed aluminium into his hand. "The rifle and helmet too if I'm not mistaken."

After reading it he looked back sharply at the Gallians and asked, "Did you two bury him?" He pointed over to the grave.

With some hesitation, Welkin answered, "Yes."

The Captain opened his mouth but stopped when he saw Jensen exiting the cottage.

"There's nothing of interest but there's evidence of medical treatment inside," the soldier reported.

Welkin and Alicia caught a flicker of mild surprise on the Imperial officer's face before he turned back to them and asked, "So why was it you tried to save his life? Judging by the outcome, it was probably futile by the time of your encounter."

"He suffering greatly from his injuries, delirious and frightened; crying out for his mother. I know we're at war but we all have families back home. I couldn't stand by and allow him to suffer," replied Welkin in an even tone.

One of the Imperials, a lancer, commented, "Fritz's a good kid. Often wrote home and all."

"Yeah," a sniper added, "A shame we weren't there for you. Rest in peace man."

The sergeant turned his head to censure the two men who'd spoken out of turn but his superior raised a hand. With a shrug, the sergeant turned back to face the Gallians, albeit with a more relaxed pose instead of training his rifle on them.

"And how about you son? Do you have a family?" the Captain asked.

"Yes. A younger sister. But I regard the men and women of my unit as a family as well."

With a nod of understanding, the Captain replied, "I see. Back home I have a wife and daughter. Like you, the soldiers under my command have become a second family. You don't ever abandon them. For that reason I'd like to thank you for honouring Private Fritz. His family will appreciate what you've done and his unit will be thankful for the closure."

It was then that the sergeant responded quietly to a call from his radio pack. He looked over anxiously at the Captain just as a string of explosions could be heard in the distance.

"Well I suppose we must part ways now. If we are to meet again it will be in battle, regrettably. You two seem like good people," he said as the sergeant rounded up his men with a sharp whistle and twirling motion of his finger.

"For now, farewell."

He turned on his heel and left the way he came with the sergeant holding out his radio phone for him to talk. Welkin and Alicia noticed that Costa, the scout had taken their rifles with him. Before long, all seven of the Imperials were gone. Meanwhile the low boom of explosions and the crackle of distant small arms fire slowly increased in intensity.

"Come on. If there's fighting that means the Squad's engaged the Imperials. If we head there that's where we can rejoin them," said Welkin hurriedly.

"You're right. Let's go," Alicia agreed.

* * *

One of the main complaints regarding the MQ-3 Scryer was that it flew too low and was too heavily encumbered by its two AHM-180 Joint Strike Missiles which simply didn't pack enough of a punch. That made it easy prey from anti-aircraft fire. The Scryer-B however was meant to address two of these problems. With a larger and stronger airframe, improved rotors and motors, it could fly much higher, putting it out of range of MANPADS and most AAA while affording it greater survivability. In addition it had four AIM-92 Block 3 Stinger missiles for engaging aerial targets and six internally carried Mini-Mavericks for ground attack. Unlike the original Scryer which only had an ECM suite, the B variant also had chaff and flare dispensers. All these made it a much bigger and meaner cousin; some described it as a remote controlled mini gunship which was hard as hell to shoot down.

Alan watched the Scryer-B camera feed through his C-C monocle while he moved the drone with his wrist PDA. Vyse, Aika and Marina watched, wondering what the hell he was up to.

He'd marked the location of the enemy encampment on his map and HUD. Most of the enemy troops were on the move towards the Gallians. Further back northeast up the road were the three Mi-26 helicopters. Alan briefly contemplated destroying them but thought better of it. Without the possibility of retreat the enemy would either fight to the death or give up. Better not risk it. Moving on, he watched as the enemies came upon the layer of mines, indicated with green icons which Catherine and Wendy had laid a few hours earlier. He watched the explosions and mayhem play out on the feed and heard the explosions arrive half a second later. They weren't very far from the action. With luck the mines in the forest would dissuade the Imperials from taking the forest path. It was then that a red diamond appeared on screen. Moving the UAV so it hovered above the spot, Alan zoomed in but found a layer of low clouds obscuring it. When selected, the diamond denoted a Russian RFID signal, one which corresponded with a Spetsnaz officer. Noting that, Alan decreased altitude so the Scryer was below the clouds and watched as the enemy formation regrouped back on the road. They advanced much more quickly but the next rows of mines Wendy and Catherine deployed were planted on the roadside. It wasn't very far before they'd be within sight of the Gallian encampment.

* * *

The Russian captain in charge was knocked flat on his backside as the next string of anti-personnel mines went off, this time along the roadside. He'd originally wanted to advance on the Gallians in a pincer manoeuvre through the forest on either side of the road while a Kord HMG team provided a distraction from the middle. After the first set of mines the Imperials refused to go any further. The absence of their captain made things even more difficult for the Spetsnaz officer. After some deliberating with the remaining officers, he'd reluctantly agreed to attack via the main road with cover from smoke grenades. The supplies ferried in by the Halos included dozens of rifle launched smoke grenades and RPG-7s; easy to use weapons.

Dusting himself off, he turned and watched as the wounded were lifted and taken back to the encampment behind with the helos. That meant fewer troops for him to storm the Gallian positions. Looking to his right, the Kord team was okay though shaken like everyone else.

"Come on! We're almost within range. Arm your smoke grenades! They're outgunned and outnumbered. RPG carriers, aim for their tank," he shouted, striding forward with the braver Imperials to urge on the rest.

Obediently, most of the troops did as he said, changing their ammunition for blanks and attaching smoke grenades and firing adaptors to the ends of their rifle barrels. The Imperials with RPGs reached into their packs and slotted the warheads onto their launchers.

* * *

"They'll be here any moment now!" Largo called out as the Squad fanned out across the front of their encampment.

They all had less than half the ammunition they'd started with since the journey and the Edelweiss still didn't have a driver.

"I see them double timing it. About ten. Eighteen. Dammit. Lots of hostiles north up the road," reported Catherine over the radio from her OP up the road.

"Okay. Hold fire and pull back," replied Largo.

Near the front with the sandbags Theold aimed his mortar lance down the road, waiting for the first Imperials to come into range. Though he had little to defend himself with other than his sidearm, the mortar lances issued to the Militia had notoriously poor range. Next to him was Edy who was supposed to cover him with her submachine gun. The teenage girl quietly grumbled as she slammed a magazine into her weapon. On her webbing she only had eight magazines, barely enough to see her through the rest of the battle. Luckily for her she'd managed to browbeat the medics into allowing her to hold onto Homer's pack before he was evacuated from Barious. That meant she had an extra four as well as some additional ragnaid.

Behind a fallen tree to the side of the road were Noce and Nadine, the latter was sniffling thanks to her allergy.

"Eugh!" Noce winced as he saw the engineer pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her nose again. "Don't crawl about in the grass perhaps. I've seen kids crawl do that and miss out on school the next day. Must have breathed in the seeds or something."

"I try not to. It just happened randomly. I was mostly staying with the Edelweiss you see," she replied, stifling a sneeze.

"What?" I can barely understand you with your blocked nose. Get some antihistamines from the medic when you have the time."

Hannes had dug himself a foxhole in the middle of the road. The sandbags he'd pilfered from the sides lined the front and back to absorb bullets and ricochets. When he first dug it in the dark it was a little on the short side given his height. That morning he'd dug a little deeper so he could stand more comfortably and lean against the earthen walls. Mussad from Squad 3 had held an impromptu session, teaching several Militia squads about digging trenches and foxholes. It'd been difficult making a lid but Hannes had taken some notes and managed to fashion a cover for his hole which camouflaged nicely with the road around him. If he needed to get out in a hurry he had a couple of smoke grenades he'd saved.

In the medical tent Salinas was getting dressed much to the objection of Fina.

"For the last time. No. You're only going to aggravate those injuries you sustained last night. You may not need any more ragnaid but you're not ready for discharge just yet!" she said sternly, moving Salinas' webbing out of reach once he'd finished buttoning up his shirt.

"Fina. I have to go. The love of my life is out there and I want to be there by her side for this battle," he replied, reaching over and grabbing it.

The medic stared in confusion. She'd heard of the guy's tumultuous dating life but she'd never heard of any gossip regarding him and any other member of the Squad. Probably Edy since she appeared to have a bit of a crush on him.

"Your eagerness to be with your beloved is admirable but you're not doing anyone any favours by keeling over and passing out when you'll inevitably strain yourself in combat," retorted Fina, "Tell me who it is and I'll get them over here if you want to confess or something."

Salinas instead shot her a smile as he grabbed his submachine gun.

"No. Bringing the Edelweiss here is impossible. Now if you'll excuse me."

He brushed past the slack jawed medic and left the tent.


	20. Rewrite Notice

Endwar Chronicles is undergoing an overhaul so I can remove the unnecessary plot elements I previously added. As well as this I hope to pick up any grammar, spelling and punctuation errors I may have made while writing. Now that I've kind of figured out the HAWX and Endwar timelines there'll be a few changes to the story, nothing too major.

The name of this revised story is Endwar Chronicles Block IA. Frankly labelling it MkII or v 1.01 or something like that is getting old.

This is how the rewrite will work. I'll be editing each chapter I've got before I upload all of them in one sitting over the current chapters. Once I'm done editing I'll give a date shortly before the mass upload begins. The number of chapters and each chapter name will be the same.

Most of the rewrite will be a pruning process so hopefully it shouldn't take too long. If you've got any inquiries feel free to PM me.


	21. Two rewritten chapters on separate story

**Rewritten chapters appearing as a separate story any minute now. If you already have this on story alert or favourites I recommend you add on the new one.**

**More details will appear on the new chapters. **


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